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by TheRookBook



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Eventual Chenford, Father-Daughter Relationship, There’s a death, a big one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:08:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22919002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRookBook/pseuds/TheRookBook
Summary: Ellie Bradford left Los Angeles against her father's wishes. Now, she’s back. Follow her journey as she reacquaints with her father and life after.
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 42
Kudos: 144





	1. Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr (@TheRookieBook)!
> 
> I only own Ellie, Sean, Dosson, Melinda, and technically Williamson.

Ellie was finally back in Los Angeles after years since leaving for college. She escaped the busy city life for the calm and peacefulness of the south. Her father had wanted her to stay in LA and go to school there so he could keep a watchful eye over his only child. Ellie didn’t want that at all. She wanted to see what life was like outside of California.

Growing up, Ellie and her father had a great relationship. He was her hero and she was daddy’s little girl. He would take her to football games whenever he had the chance. He would spend as much time as possible with her between his job and other things he had going on. At times, he could be hard on her, but that was only because he wanted what he thought was best for his daughter.

Her mother was oftentimes jealous of the relationship that the two shared. Ellie could remember her parents often fighting when she was laying in bed over how much she gravitated towards her father instead of her mother. Midway through Ellie’s junior year in high school, her mother left. She didn’t give an explanation of why she just packed her stuff and left.

Ellie remembers the night that she left. Her father was trying to plead and beg to get her mother to stay, but the woman had already made up her mind. Her father held her tight in his arms as they watched the woman that they both loved leave them and to never return. This night pushed Ellie and her father even closer together. They were always together either at home just relaxing or out about in LA just enjoying themselves.

This changed when they started discussing which college Ellie would attend once she graduated from high school. He wanted her to stay in LA, but Ellie wanted to leave. The night before she left, they had a huge fight. All the pent-up aggression that both held for over a year came to surface. Ellie didn’t even tell him goodbye the next morning when she left. She looked back at the house when she was pulling out of the driveway one last time and saw him standing between the curtains watching her. Neither waved nor smiled at the other, just two stoic expressions meeting in the early morning hours. She could see the pain and hurt in his eyes. A look that she never wanted to see again after her mother left. He simply turned and disappeared into the house as Ellie pulled out of the driveway.

Now she found herself sitting at a little brunch café on the city streets of Los Angeles. She was meeting one of her old friends from high school to catch up after years of being apart. The brunch flew by. It was good to have some good laughs with her old friend until they brought up her father. “So, does he know that you’re back in town,” Sarah asked taking a sip of her orange juice.

Ellie shook her head. “No. Not yet. I was planning on stopping by the house later today, but who knows if he’ll be home.”

“You graduated over a month ago and you’ve been back in the city for nearly two weeks. It’s time to go see him,” her friend Sarah said. “I know you two had a big fight when you left, but I think he’d be happy that your back.”

“Probably so,” Ellie said softly. “We haven’t even spoken to each other for three and a half years. You don’t just makeup with someone overnight or just magically forget everything that was said. Both of us said some hurtful things and maybe that’s how it all ends. We never talk to each other again.”

“Is that what you want,” Sarah asked her voice turning serious. “Do you really never want to talk to him again?”

Ellie sat the fork she was using down on her place before looking up at Sarah. “No,” Ellie said after a long minute. “I don’t think I could go forever without talking to him again, but I’m not ready yet. A couple more days and we’ll see how we feel about it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “He’ll be happy that you’re back.”

“Yeah I hope so,” Ellie said softly looking away from her friend.

“Let’s get out of here and go have some fun,” Sarah said cheerfully dropping a napkin onto her empty plate. Sarah paid for their brunch and the pair headed off into the busy city of LA.

\-----  
The girls spent most of the day shopping at the various shops around the city. Ellie bought herself a new outfit that she would need for an interview later in the week. They were headed back to Ellie’s hotel when a police cruiser’s blue light started flashing in their review. A sense of dread washed over Ellie. She really hoped this wasn’t her father.

“Good evening ladies, I’m Officer Nolan with the LAPD. Can I see your license and registration please,” the older officer asked shining his light into the car on both Sarah and Ellie. Sarah reached across Ellie and into the glove compartment for her registration. She handed both her ID and registration to the officer.

Another officer knocked on Ellie’s window causing her to roll down the window. “ID ma’am,” the younger lady officer said. Ellie reached in her bag and pulled out her license. She handed it to the officer. “Thank you. We’ll be right back with you,” she said walking away from the vehicle.

Minutes later, the officer returned and asked them to step out of the vehicle as they started to open their doors. Sarah started to protest, but Ellie simply undid her seatbelt and slid out of the car. The lady officer directed her to stand at the back of the vehicle. Sarah joined her shortly after arguing with Officer Nolan.

“Were you two ladies at the Brentwood Place Shopping Center earlier today?”

“Yes, sir,” Ellie answers quickly, while Sarah remained silent beside her.

“Were you aware that you didn’t pay for everything?”

The confusion was clear of Ellie’s face. “No sir, we paid for what we got.”

The lady officer beside Officer Nolan shook her head. “Do you mind if we search your bags,” she asked.

“Yes.”

“No,” Ellie said turning to look at Sarah who said yes beside her. That’s when she started to notice the guilt that was spreading rapidly across Sarah’s face.

“There it is,” Officer Nolan said pulling a black blouse out of one of the bags with the security tags still attached.

“Who’s bag is this,” Officer Harper asked turning to the ladies.

“That’s my bag, but that’s not my blouse. Sarah say something.” Sarah remained silent beside her causing Ellie’s temper to flare.

“So, you’re both denying taking the shirt,” Harper asked.

“That’s my bag, but I did not put that blouse in there.”

“Nolan,” Officer Harper called. “We’re taking them both. Turn around,” she demanded of the girls.

“Dispatch, this is 2-5-2-5-3 we need another vehicle for transport on Hauser Boulevard,” Officer Nolan said into his walkie as Harper cuffed the girls.

“7-Adam-19 please respond.”

“Roger, 7-Adam-19 responding to Hauser Boulevard,” a woman’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Chen and Bradford are on their way,” Officer Nolan repeated to Harper.

Once she heard the name Bradford, Ellie leaned her head against the back glass of Sarah’s vehicle. This was not how she wanted to see her father again.

\----  
It hadn’t been long since they sat the girls down on the curb on the side of the road that the other patrol car pulled up. Two officers exited their vehicle and walked towards Officers Nolan and Harper.

“ _What is it boot_ ,” she heard his voice as he walked closer.

Nolan handed Bradford the license in his hand. “One Sarah-”

“ _Sarah Donley_ ,” he said cutting off Nolan and walking around the car in front of the girls.

“You know her,” Harper asked slightly confused.

“ _Yeah she grew up- never mind not important. Who else do we have here_ ,” he questioned out loud sliding the other license on top. Just when he was about to say something about the other girl, Bradford stopped. Instead, he walked over and squatted down in front of the girl. “ _Ellie_ ,” he said after a moment.

Ellie finally lifted her head to look at him. “Hey,” she said softly. “How ya been?”

He opened his mouth many times like he was about to say something before shutting his mouth and just looking at her. He looked away from her for a moment finally breaking the silence between them. “ _What are you doing here,_ ” he asked her sternly. The surprised father turning back into the hardened police officer.

“Well, Ummm,” she paused, “I moved back.”

“Sorry to break up whatever this is,” Harper jumped in. “But we need to get back on patrol and they need to go to the station.”

Bradford shook his head trying to process what just happened. He stood up and walked over to the other officers. “ _Tell me exactly what you know_ ," he demanded talking to Nolan.

"We were told to be on the lookout for a white Toyota 4-runner with two female passengers for possible shoplifting suspects. The managers say that there was a blouse stolen and they reviewed the cameras and determined the suspects got in a car similar to this one."

_"Do we know which one of them took the shirt from the store?”_

“Not really. The video needs to be reviewed, but Ms. Brad- Oh,” Nolan stopped finally realizing the situation. “Uh, Ms. Bradford denies knowing the blouse was stolen, the other hasn’t said much since we got them out of the car.”

Ellie watched as her father brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples looking back at her shaking his head. “ _Alright. I want to know exactly when you review the tape. Y’all can take Donley and Chen and I will take Ellie_ ,” she heard him say.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, sir,” Nolan questioned earning a glare from her father.

“ _Chen get her up_ ,” he ordered and walked away back towards their car. The younger officer helped Ellie stand to her feet. She guided Ellie towards the car in the back. Tim already had the back driver door open when the pair walked up. Chen sat Ellie in the back seat and walked around to the passenger side.

“I didn’t do it,” Ellie stated simply looking at her father who was standing in the open door looking at her.

“ ** _I know_** ,” he replied shortly after buckling Ellie's seatbelt. He closed the door gently and slid into the driver's seat. He looked back in the review at her for a moment. Then he started the car and started the journey back towards the station. 


	2. Another Legacy

A zoo animal. That’s what she feels like. The other officers in the station gawking at them through the many windows of the meeting room on the main floor. Tim dragged her across the main floor to the room ignoring the many looks of concern and confused as they passed others. He uncuffed her hands before he made her sit down in a chair. Ellie watched as he rubbed his temples as he paced the room. He never said a word as he paced, and she just sat there. Ellie wanted him to say something, even yell if he wanted to, but he didn’t say anything.

  
Ellie looked out the glass room to see Officer Nolan escorting Sarah to a different part of the station. The girl’s eyes were red like she’d been crying, and she immediately looked to the floor when she saw Ellie looking at her. Ellie also noticed the growing group of officers gathered around one of the desks outside the room. Occasionally one would look her way before quickly turning back towards the others.

  
Tim must have noticed the group at the same time. He stormed across the room and threw the door open. “ _Break it up_ ,” she heard him demand. “ _I catch one of you hanging around here again, I’ll write you up myself_ ,” he threatened. The small group quickly dispersed under her father’s heated glare. He walked back inside the room and gently closed the door behind him. Ellie heard him walk towards her. He pulled out a chair from a table in front of her and sat on the table, so he was sitting directly in front of her. _“I’m still trying to process you even being back_ ,” he said softly causing Ellie to look up at him. “ _Not only you being back, but being arrested? Come on Ellie, you’re smarter than that._ ”

  
“I didn’t do it,” she told him firmly once again.

  
“ _How long have you been back in LA_?”

  
“Are you sure you want to do this here,” she asked causing him to raise his eyebrows at her like he was expecting an answer to his question. “Two weeks.”

  
“ _Good lord_ ,” she heard him huff. “ _Why am I just finding out_?”

  
Ellie shrugged her shoulders staying quiet-looking away from him and back out the windows.

  
She heard him slide off the table and walk beside her. “ _Ells_ ,” he whispered using the nickname that he had given her when she was little. _“I could never stay mad at you about leaving_ ,” he said softly squatting down beside her. “ _I overreacted that night and I’m sorry. I know that’s not enough, but I want you to know that I am sorry.”_

  
“Why didn’t you call,” she asked turning her head slightly to look at him beside her.

  
“ _You’re too much like me, I didn’t think you would answer. In case you did not know, us Bradfords are stubborn_ ,” he said cracking a grin.   
\---  
The rookies were standing on the far side of the room looking into the glass room at the father-daughter duo. Jackson had just arrived with his TO Lopez and joined his other rookies. “He never told you,” Nolan asked Chen beside him.

  
“No. After everything we’ve been through, he never mentioned it. Just when you think you know someone,” Chen scoffed. She felt betrayed in a sense. Her TO was supposed to be able to trust her, but for him to hide something like this from her maybe he didn’t trust her at all.

  
“Never told you what,” Jackson asked dropping in their conversation.

  
“That Tim Bradford has a daughter.”

  
“No one really knew,” they heard a voice behind them causing them to turn around. “Sergeant Grey and I are the only ones that knew,” Lopez informed the rookies before her. “Now I suggest you get your paperwork done and head home before Tim catches you out here staring at them.”   
\----  
Lopez quickly made her way across the room. She knew Tim had a hard time after Ellie first left, so she didn’t know how he was holding up. Lopez opened the door to the room causing the two occupants to quickly look at her. “There’s my favorite niece,” she said cheerfully walking towards the pair.

  
Ellie pushed her chair back and stood up. Lopez quickly brought Ellie in for a hug while looking over her shoulder at Tim behind them. She gave her fellow TO a look and he just nodded. They would have to talk later.

  
Lopez eased away from the hug. “What are you doing here,” she asked still holding Ellie at an arm’s length.

  
When her mother left, Ellie began to confide more and more in Lopez. Her father has worked with the woman for many years, so Ellie knew that she could trust her. Growing up, Tim did not introduce her to many police officers over the years. Only people that he knew he could trust with his life. That’s why only Lopez and Grey knew.

  
“ _She’s a suspect in a case_ ,” her father spoke up from behind them.

  
“A suspect,” Lopez asked confused looking between from Ellie to Tim and back again. “What?”

  
“ _Harper is looking at the film, so she’ll probably be cleared before too long_.”

  
Lopez stayed quiet waiting for either of them to explain why Ellie was a suspect in a case. “Well are you going to tell me or am I going to have to ask someone else?”

  
“My friend got us into some trouble. She decided to five-finger discount a shirt from a store and put it in my bag. When I denied it, she didn’t speak up, so they brought us both in.”

  
“So, you didn’t do anything?” Ellie shook her head. “You said Harper was looking at the tape,” she questioned Tim in front of her.

  
“ _Yeah. It shouldn’t be too much longer. Just waiting on word from Harper_.” They all heard his phone ding in his pocket. “ _Speaking of which_ ,” he said as his hand dug into his pocket for his phone. He pulled the phone out and started to read the message. “ _She’s clear_ ,” he said after a moment finally letting go of the breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. “ _Well that’s good, umm, I’m going to go change and we’ll head out_ ,” he informed Ellie.

  
Tim gave Angela a look and she followed him out of the room. The pair walked down the hallway towards the locker rooms. “ _Did you know she was back_ ,” he asked her once they were away from everyone.

  
Lopez nodded her head subtly. “Yeah. She called me about a week ago.”

  
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty equipment room. “ _Don’t you think that’s something I should have been told_?”

  
“She asked me not to,” Angela said moving her hands to her side. “What do you want me to say, Tim?”

  
He tightened his jaw glaring at her. “ _ **That’s my daughter**. You had no right_.”

“She’s not a kid anymore Tim,” she exclaimed. “She wanted to see you when she was ready. You barging up in her hotel would just make things worse. Ellie, she’s scared. She didn’t know how you would react, so she wanted to wait,” Lopez tried to explain but it didn’t seem to register with Tim.

  
“ ** _She’s still my kid_** ,” he raised his voice jabbing himself in the chest with his finger. “ _Nothing will ever change that. You should have told me. That way I wouldn’t have seen my daughter for the first time after three and a half years being arrest on the side of the road. You should have told me_ ,” he said sternly brushing passed her and out of the room.

  
“Tim,” she called after him, but he continued to storm down the hallway towards the men’s locker room. She heard the door bounce off the wall and be slammed shut. Angela shook her head before heading to the women’s locker room to change. He would understand after he cooled down.  
\----  
After her father and Lopez left the room, Ellie sat there for a minute before standing up and walking out. She saw Officer Nolan talking to a couple of other officers. “Officer Nolan,” she called walking up to him.

  
Nolan turned towards her and the other two officers that he was talking to focused their attention on her as well. “Bradford’s daughter-.”

  
“Ellie,” she said interrupting him.

  
“Oh, sorry that just slipped out,” he explained with a smile, but Ellie knew that they were still trying to process everything. “What can I do for you?”

  
“I just wanted to thank you for, uhm, being understanding out there. I know my dad can be a hard ass most of the time, but he’s really a good guy. He just gets too wounded up sometimes. And I don’t think we should have met like that honestly. I’m Ellie Bradford,” she said extending her hand.

  
“John Nolan,” he gave her a slight smile before shaking her hand. “This is Jackson West and Lucy Chen,” he said introducing the others to her. Ellie shook their hands too. She noticed that Lucy was hesitant to interact with her, but she did after a moment.

  
Ellie gave them all a small grin. “It was nice to meet you all. I’ll see ya around,” she said turning and walking away from the group just as her father came around the corner dressed in his street clothes. “Hey,” she said as he walked closer. She noticed that his eyes were locked on something behind her. Ellie turned her head and saw Lucy staring back at her father.

  
“ _You ready to go_ ,” he asked making her turn back towards him.

  
“Yeah.”

  
He draped her arm over her shoulder as the two started to leave the station. “Bradford,” they heard someone call from behind them. Both Ellie and Tim turned towards the noise. Sergeant Grey made his way across the room towards them. “Not you Tim. It’s good to see you again Ellie,” he addressed her. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until Thursday.”

  
“ _Thursday_ ,” she heard her father question. “ _Why Thursday_?”

  
“She didn’t tell you,” Grey asked looking from Ellie to Tim. “Looks like we’re going to have another legacy in the department,” he said with a wide smile.

  
Ellie felt the arm around her shoulder tighten and she closed her eyes trying to pretend she wasn’t in this situation right now. “ _ **A** **legacy** , huh_,” she heard him say. He didn’t sound too mad, maybe a little surprised, but his arm continued to tighten around her. “ _Thanks, Grey_ ,” he said his voice monotone. “ _I’ll see ya in a couple of days_ ,” he told the commanding officer giving him a slight smile.

  
The pair turned back towards the door. Tim’s arm still tight around Ellie as he walked them to his truck. _“Is there anything else you want to tell me before someone else does_ ,” he asked her sternly looking at her after they climbed in the truck. After a few moments of silence passed between the two, he started the truck and started to leave the parking lot. “ _What hotel is your stuff at_?”

  
Ellie told him which hotel and leaned her head back on against the seat. She took a deep breath closing her eyes hoping that nothing else came up today. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going the way she had intended for it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there thanks for reading! I’m thinking of turning this more into a series of one-shots. Some might relate, other maybe not. I haven’t decided. Let me know what you think! More chapters to come if this is something people are interested in!


	3. Graduation Day, First Day

Seven months ago, Ellie returned to LA. A place she tried to escape, but the city called her back. Six months ago, she started the police academy. Growing up with both her parents being police officers, it was in her blood. Being gone and doing something else just did not feel right. LA was where she was supposed to be. LA was home. LA was her home. It was where she was born and raised. Where her father was. When she left, she knew that she could not stay gone forever.   
  
During her time in the academy, she had heard all the stories about her dad and the others at Mid-Wilshire. She couldn't help but smile and shake her head. When it was time to request which division, she wanted to be assigned to, Ellie didn't hesitate. Mid-Wilshire was at the top of her list. She didn't even bother filling in the other two spaces.   
  
She stood with her other cadets as they finally took the oath and were sworn in. Ellie knew that Tim was there. She had invited Angela, Wesley, Lucy, and Grey. She had managed to invite Lucy under her father's radar. She could imagine his face when she walked up to him.   
  
It was after the ceremony when she walked up to her little group. "It's been a while since I've seen a Bradford in long sleeves," Grey comments as she walked up to them. "I can't wait to see it every day," he says the smile on his face growing wider.   
  
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Soak it up while you can. It won't be like this for long," she returns matching his smile.   
  
Tim hadn't really said a word. She could feel his eyes on her throughout the whole ceremony. He was the first to embrace her when she walked up the group, but he hadn't said anything. He got like that sometimes when he was trying to think hard about something, or he wanted to observe what was happening around him.  
  
Ellie took turns taking pictures with everyone. There were a couple made with just her and Tim. Others where they added Lucy in. Then she took some with just Lucy, some with Angela and Wesley. She took a few with Grey and Tim. Her favorite though was the one that featured the whole group. Everyone smiling and enjoying this time they had together.   
  
"With all of you being here, I'm sure some of the others are trembling. You all have quite a reputation. I heard every story, every speculation; everything. The instructors use you as a scare tactic," she said gesturing towards Tim beside her.  
  
" _Well, I'm flattered_."   
  
"Of course, you would be," Lucy piped causing the group to laugh.   
  
Tim was about to start back when Ellie interrupted him. "Let's get out of here and let these kids relax. Tomorrow the real fun starts."   
  
They go eat as a group at a little dinner down the street from their house. Ellie starts to notice the little glances that Lucy and her father share. Then it's when Lucy laughs at a joke, she tends to lean towards him. How when he starts to tell a story about something that happened on shift, his eyes move to her first and stay there for a second longer than necessary.   
  
She hadn't seen him this happy in a long time. Some could say it was because he was happy Ellie was following in his footsteps. Ellie knew he was proud, but this wasn't just proud, there was a glint in his eyes that she missed seeing. Being around Lucy seemed to bring out the best in him.   
  
They filled the small dinner up with laughter and stories for a couple of hours before each headed their separate ways. Tomorrow was a big day and Grey wanted everyone to get a good night's rest.   
  
Once home, Ellie finally changed out of her uniform and into a pair of sweats and one of Tim's old LAPD shirts. Walking back into the living room, she found her dad still in his grey suit nursing a beer. There wasn't a game of any kind on the tv or sports center, she knew that was weird. He had a framed photo in his hand. He looked up at her with a soft smile before looking back down at the picture in his hand.   
  
"What's that," she asks walking across the room. She plopped down beside him on the couch.   
  
" _A memory_ ," he says softly not looking away from the picture. " _Back when everything was so much simpler_."   
  
Ellie leaned against him to get a good look at the photo. He looked so much younger with his arm wrapped around a blonde woman. Both with wide smiles as they took the picture. Both wearing their long-sleeve uniforms. "You don't have to talk about it. It's okay."   
  
" _No. No, I do_ ," he says wrapping his arm around her and holding her close. " _I should have known that seeing you in uniform would remind me of her. You remind me so much of her, Els. Your will. Your desire. You got your attitude and wit from me, but you are so much like her_."   
  
"Well, I'm not going anywhere. You're kind of stuck with me for the foreseeable future," she says looking up at him.   
  
" _Good_ ," he laughs. " _I'm proud of you, you know. She would be too, I know it._ "   
  
"Yeah, I know," she says as her phone vibrates on her lap. She clears the notification clearly before putting her phone back down.  
  
" _What's your screen_?"   
  
"Huh," she asks looking back to him.   
  
" _Your lock screen_."   
  
"Oh." Ellie holds her phone so that he can see the picture on her lock screen. It's a picture of Tim, Ellie, and Lucy all smiles for earlier. "I thought it was a good picture. Maybe we should frame it too."   
  
He pulls her a little tighter against him before placing a kiss on her head. " _Maybe_." Yes, he was going to frame it. Most definitely. He'd probably give Lucy one too.   
\--  
The next morning, Ellie was walking through the station after changing into her freshly pressed uniform with Lucy beside. "You're going to be fine. The first day is kind of hectic trying to process do much information at one time, but at least Tim won't be your TO," Lucy encouraged as they walked.   
  
"At this point, I think I'd rather have him than anyone else."   
  
"Well, there she is. Boot Bradford reporting for duty. That's going to be fun to say," Jackson teased as he and John joined them on the way.   
  
" _Knock it off West_ ," Tim says as he walks past them. " _Hurry up, you don't want to be late for your first roll call_."   
  
Ellie turns back and makes a laughing face at Jackson as they enter the room. Ellie sits at one of the front tables and quickly notices that no one else joins her. John, Lucy, and Jackson sat at a table a couple of rows back.   
  
"Alright settle down," Grey says walking into the room. His eyes meet Ellie's first. "We got some new blood today, ladies and gentlemen. Officer Bradford," he says walking up to Ellie, "Welcome to the force. Hopefully, you won't such a pain in my ass like the other one back there," he teases causing the rest of the room to laugh. He smirked when his eyes met Tim's from the back of the room. "Alright okay. It's time to play the matching game." His eyes scan the room for a minute looking at all the qualified training officers in the room. "Officer Dosson, congrats you just won."   
  
Ellie turns to look at the man who sat on the other side of the room. He was about mid-thirties. Classic cop haircut. She sees a flicker of panic cross his face before he smiles at her. She could also see her father's puzzled expression out of the corner of her eye.   
  
"Alright stay safe out there people," Grey says leaving the room. Ellie walks over to her TO and they head out the door. He shows her where the equipment hold is and their car. " _It's not a car, it's a shop_ ," she hears her father's voice in her head.   
  
Tim watches as the pair leaves the room. "He put her with Dosson. Of all people, Dosson," he says once they were out of earshot.   
  
"Dosson is a good cop, Tim," Lopez defends. "His tactics may not be up to yours, but he'll teach her what she needs to know. Plus, she has us if there are any questions."   
  
"He's a slug. Two weeks before she requests a change."   
  
"Are you betting on your daughter? Fine. Two months," she counters. "Loser takes one of the other's shifts."   
  
"Deal," he says pushing his chair back. "Easiest day off, I have ever earned," he added as he walked out of the room and towards Lucy who had already gotten their gear.   
\--  
"The first thing you do is check the car for any damages if there are any log them maintenance. What's next," he asks looking over at Ellie.   
  
"Check the backseat to make sure that nothing was left behind by an arrestee. Then you check the shotguns," she said grabbing one at a time and make sure it was clear before loading it again. "Check to make sure the war bags are fully supplied. Check your body cam. Officer Bradford ready for duty," she said tilting the camera on her chest words her. "Next," she says opening the drive door, "Log into the computer. Lastly, make sure the lights and sirens are operable. Then you're ready to roll."   
  
"You're going to make this easy on my aren't you Bradford," he asked as he opened the passenger side and climbed in.   
  
"That's my intentions, sir." Ellie waited for him to demand she swapped seat with him, but Dosson stayed seated. "Wait, you're going to let me drive," she asked puzzled. Boots never drove on their first day.   
  
"Yep," Dosson nods. "How else are you supposed to learn the streets."   
  
Quickly, Ellie clips the seatbelt into place before he can change his mind. "Where to?"   
  
"Wherever you want to go to Officer Bradford. The city is your playground."   
  
He let her ride around the city making a couple stops, but nothing arrestable. After lunch, he directed down a street and told her to park on the side where they could just see in the intersection ahead.   
  
"Now what," she ponders looking over at him.   
  
"Now we wait."   
  
"Wait for what?"   
  
"Just wait."   
\--  
They sat in their patrol car parked on the side of the street waiting for something, anything to happen. Ellie watched the intersection intensely. She figured that Dosson knew this place was a hotspot for illegal activity giving her a chance to do some actual policing. When nothing happened for the first hours, she was starting to get bored. Then another set of hours went by and still nothing. It was drawing towards the end of their shift and she hadn't even made an arrest today.   
  
"Okay. Am I missing something? Am I not looking at the right thing? It's been," she paused looking at her watch, "four hours and still nothing." Dosson kept his eyes on the street.   
  
"Ah there," he says pointing ahead. A car had just rolled through the stop sign in front of them. "Go stop 'em."   
  
"Seriously," she questioned. Half the day wasted just to stop a car that rolled the stop sign.   
  
"Now, Boot."   
  
Ellie huffed as she started the car. She flipped on the lights and sirens pulling out onto the street. The car pulled over quickly once it noticed they were them. Ellie typed the plates in the system and as expected, nothing popped. Registration was valid and it wasn't stolen. "7-Adam-32, code 4. West 8th street cross South La Brea Ave."   
  
Annoyed, Ellie slipped out of the car closing the door harshly behind her. Dosson too exited the vehicle. He stood at the trunk of the car as Ellie approached the window. "License and registration, please sir," she says once she's at the driver's window. "Do you want to tell me why you were in such a hurry back there to roll that stop sign?"   
  
"No, ma'am. I didn't even realize I did."   
  
"Mhmm," Ellie hums as she starts to read his information through to dispatch.   
  
"7-Adam-32, ID has 10-36F for A.D.W. Be advised," her radio crackled with the dispatcher's response. A felony warrant. This day wasn't going to be a total waste after all.   
  
"Sir, I'm going to need you to step out of the car," she tells him opening the driver door.   
  
"All this for rolling a stop sign? Can't I just get a warning or something?"  
  
"Hands-on the car," she commands as she begins to pat him down. "Do you have anything on you that will poke, stick, or hurt me?"   
  
"No."   
  
"Alright, sir. I'm going to need you to place your hands behind your back," she says already reaching back for her cuffs.   
  
"Seriously? For rolling a stop sign?"   
  
"Are you aware that you have a warrant, sir?"   
  
"For what?"  
  
"Assault with a deadly weapon. You are being placed under arrest," she started as she reached for his hand to start cuffing him. Just as she's about to clasps the cuff around his wrist, the man throws his head back hitting Ellie square in the mouth.   
  
Ellie stumbles backward as the man turns on her and hits her again with his fist knocking her to the ground. He starts at her again and Ellie sweeps his legs out from under him causing the man to crash to the ground beside her. She rolls over and grabs the man's arm. Twisting it, she rolls the man over as he starts to yell. "Are you going to stop now," she asks as the guy keeps yelling. "Are you going to stop now," she asks applying a little more pressure to his arm.   
  
"Yes! Yes," the man cries.   
  
Ellie cuffs the guy and stands him up after a minute allowing herself to regain her composure. Her eyes land on Dosson, who still stood in his spot at the trunk of the car. He hadn't budged during the whole altercation.  
  
Ellie leads the guy back towards their shop. She puts him inside and slams the door. She looked back at Dosson who was still standing there. "Dosson," she called. "Dosson," she tried again a little louder.   
  
He looked back at her after a moment before making his way the short distance to the shop and climbs back inside. If this was her father, then she'd just figure this was some type of test she needed to pass, but Dosson wasn't like him. He froze. He froze and his rookie could have gotten killed.   
  
Ellie stood outside the car for a moment trying to control her temper. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but she knew she couldn't. He could fail her out of training at any time and she couldn't risk that. Ellie climbed in the front seat and glanced over at Dosson. He never looked at her after she got in, he just stared out the windshield. She felt her temper start to rise again as she started the car and headed towards the station.   
  
Once back, Ellie takes the man to booking. "This bitch tried to break my arm," the guy hollered through the station as she walked him through. She sat him down on one of the benches and changed his cuffs, so he was cuffed to the bench. A booking officer came over and took over the process.   
  
Ellie tucked her handcuffs back inside her little pouch behind her as she pushed the door open into the main area. Immediately her eyes land on Dosson. She starts to march over there to give him a piece of her mind. Consequences be damned.   
  
Someone grabs her arm causing her to whip around. " _Woah_ ," he said in shock when she whipped around towards him quickly. " _Did you not hear me calling your name_?"   
  
"What? No. Sorry."   
  
" _What happened_ ," he asked gesturing towards her lip.   
  
Ellie touches her lip and finally realizes that it's busted. She can feel the bruise starting to form on her cheek and she knows he can see it too. "Ask him," she says gesturing over her shoulder at Dosson. Ellie turns and storms away from Tim. She ignored everyone that tried to talk to her even Sergeant Grey, she would probably regret it later, but right now she needed to punch something. The bag in the gym wasn't her first option, but it would get her in a lot less trouble than decking Dosson in the face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye yo! Thanks for reading! I know all the terminology probably is not correct, but I can only google so much. Comments and kudos are appreciated! Tell me what you think! What happens next?


	4. Something New

Before her next shift, Grey had called Ellie into his office. He chewed her out for nearly twenty minutes about disrespecting his authority and how if she had been any other rookie, her ass would not have been allowed back in the station. He even threatened her with conducting the cavity searches on every person arrested for a week. She didn’t say a word as he continued to yell at her, she just stood there and took it. She knew she was in the wrong, but at that moment, she needed to get away from Dosson before she messed it up herself.

  
Tim never did ask her again what had happened. She just figured he and Grey watched hers and Dosson’s bodycam footage. Every now and then, Ellie would catch her father’s lingering glare at Dosson, and Grey tried to mix things up every so often. Ellie tried to tuff it out. She tried to hit the streets every day and do the work that Dosson wanted to do, but she was getting tired of it. Day in and day out of just riding around in their shop isn’t what policing was about. They were supposed to be out in their community making a difference, not writing tickets left and right.

  
Some good days did come. The days that Grey let her ride with Harper and Lopez were some of the best of Ellie’s so far short career. She learned a lot from the women that Dosson had not been able to teach her. Ellie wanted to follow in her parent’s footsteps since she was little, but Dosson was slowly sucking the life out of her.

  
Two months. Two very slow months finally trickled by. Ellie was getting to where coming into work each day was more of a chore instead of a passion she once followed. “Big test coming up. You ready,” Lucy asked as they headed towards roll call. It was a test to make sure that rookies were learning what they were supposed to be learning and how well they were doing after the academy. Her first big test since graduating from the academy. With Dosson as her TO, she wasn’t sure she was going to pass or fail. Failing was a big no-no for anyone under Sergeant Grey.

  
“Uhh…yeah,” Ellie said after a minute. “I’ve had a couple of questions, but dad was able to answer them.”

  
“You’ll do fine,” Lucy smiled at her. “You have Bradford blood, so no worries.”

  
Ellie tries to fake a laugh as they walked into roll call. She had just sat down at her table when Grey walked in and hung a picture up on the whiteboard. He sent around a stack of papers that have the suspect's information on it. “Nightshift reported that they are looking for a suspect related to an armed robbery that happened at the Valero off of the I-10 last night. Christian Hansen,” he said gesturing towards the picture over his shoulder, “is a frequent flier around here. This time he went too far. The pair that brings Mr. Hansen in gets super bowl weekend off.”

  
The room erupts in murmurs. People already making their plans if they were to catch the guy. “Stay safe people,” Grey calls dismissing the group. Ellie knew there was no way, she even had a chance to catch the guy unless Dosson caught him going five over the speed limit. She pushes her chair back and stands to her feet. She was already dreading this day. “Bradford,” he calls causing both Ellie and Tim to stop and look at him. “Not you Tim. Ellie my office now,” he demands walking out the back door towards his office.  
She catches her father’s worried look before she offers him a slight smile following after Grey. During the short walk to his office, everything that she could have done wrong races through her head. Nothing stood out. She tried to keep herself clean since the first day.

  
“Shut the door,” he commands once she walks in. Ellie does as she’s told and then moves to the front of his desk. “Sit down Officer Bradford.”

  
“I’d rather stand sir,” she replied calmly. She tried to give off an image of confidence, but she was shaking in her boots. Growing up a Bradford, she got in trouble. A lot. Her father was always a stickler for the rules when it came to her. She got in trouble for her grades. Staying out too late. Driving too fast. Every little thing she could get in trouble for, she did. One way or another he found a way to get her for something, but she wouldn’t trade him for anyone else. He was part of the reason she was who she was today.

  
“How are things going out there,” he asked leaning back in his chair. His eyes scanning over the rookie in front of him.

  
“Good sir. It’s good.”

  
“I got your request for a new TO,” he said placing a file on his desk. “Want to tell me why?”

  
Ellie briefly clenched her jaw and swallowed. “With all due respect to Officer Dosson, sir. I feel like my training is lacking behind some of the other rookies.”

  
“Cut the sir crap, Bradford. I’ve known you since you were eight years old. Why do you think that your training is lacking?”

  
“Sir- Sorry. I’ve had to write five times as many tickets as anyone that I graduated from the academy with. My arrest percentages are at an all-time low for a rookie. I’ve heard stories about Chen’s, Nolan’s, and West’s rookie year and Mine’s not even comparable.”

  
“Policing isn’t just about making arrests, Ellie.”

  
“Yes. I know. I hear it every day at home, but I can’t learn how to properly do my job if all I do is ride around in the shop all day and writing little old ladies tickets. I feel like I’m being safeguarded. No one wants to be the reason a fellow cop’s kid gets hurt or killed, but I can’t learn how to properly do my job with Dosson.”

  
Grey nodded his head. “I’ll look into it. I might have to make a few phone calls. You’ll have to ride with Dosson today, but I will try to find someone else.”

  
“Thank you,” Ellie said simply. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally, she would be able to actually learn how to do her job. It didn’t matter than her last name was Bradford. Her father might have already proven himself time and time again. Ellie was just getting started and she needed to learn how to do this the right way.

  
“You’re dismissed.” Ellie nodded her head and turned towards the door. “Thanks for bringing this up to me Ellie,” Grey says just as her hand lands on the handle. Ellie gave him a slight smile before opening the door and heading to the garage to find Dosson. One last shift before she could finally learn something useful.

  
She spent the first half of the day riding shotgun as Dosson drove them around the city. It was pretty much uneventful. A couple of tickets for a few speeders, but nothing major. Dosson dropped her off at the food trucks that most officers frequent before he heads home for his lunch.

  
She had not been there long when the others rolled in. She’s slowly eating her BLT when Chen, Nolan, and West sit beside her. Before long, they start talking about the arrest they have made so far during the shift. So far Lucy and Tim had made three arrests. One for DUI and two for drug possession. Jackson and Lopez made one huge arrest of a person suspected of murder, while John and Harper made two arrests for assault.

  
“What’s got you down Lil B,” Jackson asked breaking Ellie out of her thoughts.

“Nothing,” she mumbled taking a bit out of her sandwich.

“Oh, that sounds like something,” John added causing Lucy to nod along.

  
Ellie huffed as she sat her sandwich down on her tray. “I’ve written four tickets this morning because Dosson doesn’t want to answer any risky call. I hear all of you doing this and that. It’s aggravating," she ranted.

  
“That bad,” Lucy asked.

  
“If there’s a call about an old lady needing help opening a jar, you can expect to hear 7-Adam-32 responding within seconds,” she spat aggravated.

  
“Oh, so bad, bad.”

  
“You have no idea,” Ellie mumbled causing the others around her to laugh as she snacks on a fry.  
\--  
Dosson and Ellie were driving down the street when she sees a car that looks a lot similar to the vehicle of the suspect they were supposed to be looking for. “Hey,” she said breaking the silence in the car, “pull in at that laundry mat.”

  
“Why?”

  
“That car looks like the one our suspect was seen leaving in. The page that Grey gave us this morning said the front bumper had paint missing and that one does,” she explained pointing to the car that was backed into a parking spot.

  
Reluctantly, Dosson turns the car around and pulls into the laundry mat’s parking lot. As soon as they pulled into the lot several people hanging outside immediately notice there presence. Ellie noticed how people wrapped up what they were doing and started to walk away from the scene trying to get as far away from the police as possible. The trunk of the car was popped open and the two males behind it looked up to see their patrol car sitting in the lot.  
  
Ellie ran the front license plate on the car. Within seconds it came back that this was the suspect they were looking for. Finally…finally, she was going to get a bad guy off the street. “It’s him,” she informs Dosson who’s watching the scene before him intently.  
  
“Call it in. Back up and airship,” he commands after quickly peeling his eyes away from the car and scanning the computer.  
  
“7-Adam-32 in need of back up and airship at Bubblin’ 24/7 laundry,” Ellie said into the two-way radio.  
  
“Roger 7-Adam-32. Back up and airship requested and en route.”  
  
Dosson nodded to Ellie and they stepped out of the car. ‘ _You stay behind the door until you have your eyes on the suspect and it’s clear. It could be life or death_ ,’ her father’s words floated through her head.  
  
“Christian Hansen step out with your hands up,” Ellie called standing behind her door.  
  
“Is there a problem officers,” the guy asked stepping slightly out from beside the trunk. She couldn’t see his other hand from his position. Ellie felt her heart begin to race as her hand rested on the gun on her hip.  
  
“There will be if you don’t step out from behind the vehicle, Mr. Hansen,” Ellie replied. Her hand slowly unbuckling the gun on her hip. “We won’t ask again Christian,” Ellie warned.  
  
She saw his hand move up quickly and Ellie drew her weapon at the same time. His bullets fired rapidly from his rifle as they peppered the front of the car. Ellie was able to get a couple of shots off before her window was broken. She felt it when it hit. Pain exploded through her abdomen. Her back met the asphalt of the parking lot within seconds. Ellie moved her hand down to the spot and felt the wetness of her blood coat her fingers. With her gun in one hand, Ellie tried to push herself back away from the gunfire.  
  
“Bradford,” she heard Dosson call, but she couldn’t answer as she struggled to move backward. “Bradford,” he called again this time closer. Two arms wrapped under her armpits and pulled her body back to the back of the car. She groaned as she was laid flat down on the asphalt. Ellie tried to apply pressure to the wound the best she could, but everything was slowly starting to fade as she fought for consciousness as her blood continued to seep through her fingers. She could still hear the gunfire and citizens screaming as they ran for cover. “7-Adam-32 officer down! Code 3! We need medical! **_My rookie is down_**! Officer down,” she heard Dosson yell into his radio. “Oh no you don’t,” he said kneeling beside her and pressing firmly against the wound. “You don’t get to die on me boot. Not today.”  
  
What could have been seconds, felt like minutes before several police cars screeched to a stop outside the laundry mat. She tried to move, but the pain in her abdomen was too much and hands kept her pinned to the ground. Gunfire was exchanged for a few more seconds before EMTs and other officers swamped the laundry mat’s parking lot.  
  
She felt hands all over her. First opening her shirt. Then taking off her vest. Then lifting her undershirt to see the wound. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth. Ellie cried out when the EMTs pressed roughly against her abdomen. The voices around her all morphed together as the medics tried to pack the wound as much as possible. “Officer Bradford, can you hear? Officer Bradford,” one of the EMTs called causing Ellie to focus. “There we go,” he smiled looking down at her once her eyes landed on him. “You’re going to just fine. Okay? Just keep fighting. You’re going to be just fine,” he tried his best to calm Ellie down.  
  
Ellie felt her eyes growing heavier and heavier with each passing second. The voices and sirens all slowly faded away as they loaded Ellie up on a stretcher and strapped her down. “ _Where is she_ ,” she heard a worried voice yell. “ _Where is she?! Is she alive?_ ” She could barely make out the commotion from the ground, but she could recognize that voice anywhere at any time. “ _Is..is she alive? Just tell me she’s alive_ ,” the voice pleaded.  
  
“Officer Bradford, we’re going to need you to step back. We’re trying to do our job,” one of the medics said as they started to wheel Ellie towards an ambulance. They loaded the gurney into the back of the ambulance.  
  
Ellie caught a glimpse of her father’s worried face as the pushed the gurney in the ambulance. One of the medics still holding pressure against her wound.  
  
“Tim?”  
  
“ _I’m riding with her_ ,” he said firmly as he started to climb in the back. “ _Meet us at the hospital, Chen_ ,” he called just before the back doors slammed closed. “ _You’re going to be okay_ ,” he said leaning over her. She reached her hand out as far as possible from being strapped to the gurney. He took her hand and held it firmly the whole time trying to reassure her that she was going to be fine and everything was going to be okay.  
  
She squeezed his hand tightly keeping her eyes locked on him until her eyelids started to drupe. “ _No no no no_ ,” she heard him say as her hand went limp in his. She was going to be fine, she thought as her eyes started to close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye thanks for reading! Be sure to let me know what you think! Comments are appreciated! I'm on Tumblr (@TheRookieBook)! Come chat and follow along!


	5. A New Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the purpose of this fic, Tim is approximately 42-43 (similar to Eric's age). Ellie is approx. 22. Also, for this fic, Tim and Isabel still went through the academy and were rookies together, but they were already married and have a child (that being Ellie). Don't you worry though...Isabel will make an appearance at some point.

Lucy could tell he was preparing for the worst. Her former training officer paced the small waiting room that they were escorted to. He had not said a word since they arrived with Ellie in the ambulance. A nurse had physically stopped both of them from following the gurney that carried the young Bradford any farther. When he turned to look at her, she could see the pain already starting to settle in.

  
She watched him as he paced back and forth in the small room. His path soon becoming permeant wear on the carpet. Other times, he would sit beside her holding his head in his hands. That’s when she saw the dried blood on his hand which he didn’t seem to notice.

  
Quietness was all that passed between them for hours. She had never seen him so worried about one person. Of course, he was worried about her when she abducted, but this was different. It reminded her of nearly two years ago when he saw Isabel for the first time after she had left him years before. This was a hundred times more than that ever was.

  
“She’s going to okay, Tim. The doctors are going to everything they can to make sure of that,” Lucy said breaking the silence between them. Her former TO stopped his pacing to look at her. “I know you’re worried, but all this pacing is just going to work yourself up more and more until you snap and that won’t be good for you or her.”

  
Still, he said nothing as he stared at her. Slowly, he moved to sit beside her in the chair. His bloody hand reaching up to rub his forehead. A parent should never have to try to hold themselves together as their child fights for their life, but it happens way more often than it should. He knew that there were dangers when she joined the force, but he didn’t imagine that his fears would be pushed to the surface so quickly. “ _I can’t lose her_ ,” he said his voice full of sorrow. “ _Not like this. Last time, I knew she was going to be alright, she just needed to get away, but this…just gone. I don’t know what I would do without her.”_

  
Lucy put her hand on his knee causing him to look at her. She felt her heartache just from the look in his eyes alone. “She’s not going to give up. She’s a fighter. She’s a Bradford and Bradfords are too stubborn to leave something unfinished.”

  
She saw a faint hint of a smile cross his face at her words. One of his hands moved to where hers was on his knee and gently grabbed it. “ _I hope you’re right_ ,” he said softly looking Lucy in the eyes once more.

  
A couple more hours passed ever so slowly. Each passing second felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. There was a mumble around the room that was now crowded with off-duty police officers waiting for word about their fellow officer. Tim had tried to send them home that he would update them when he found something out, but the officers refused. They wanted to be there for both of them during this.

  
Lopez brought him and Lucy a change of clothes so they could get out of their uniforms. When he noticed the dried blood on his hand for the first time, a single silent tear trickled from his eye before he wiped it away. It’s not supposed to end like this.

  
Lopez, Nolan, West, Harper, Grey, and Chen all sat closest to him in the waiting room. Other officers came and offer their thoughts and prayers before they left the crowded room, no doubt just waiting outside in the hallway.

  
The door opened to reveal a very tired doctor causing the room to go silent immediately. Tim stood to his feet the moment his eyes landed on the doctor. “ _Is she…is she okay_ ,” he barely managed to choke out. The doctor merely nodded. Finally, he was able to let out the air that he was holding in. A weight lifted off his shoulders and relief began to set in.

  
“It was touch and go for a while. Officer Bradford lost a lot of blood in the field, but we were able to stop the bleeding and close up any internal injuries. She did code once while on the table, but we were able to get her back quickly. She got extremely lucky, but we believe she will make a full recovery,” the doctor smiled at Tim and the occupants in the room.

  
“ _When can I see her_ ,” he asked quickly. He needed to see her and make sure that she was really here. That this wasn’t some cruel joke and she was already gone. He needed to see her and make sure she was alright, that she would be okay.

  
“A nurse will be by shortly to escort you to her room.”

  
Tim nodded. “ _Thank you_ ,” he said reaching and shaking the doctor’s hand. Tim turned back towards the room full of officers. A small cheer broke out. She was going to be okay. Lucy wrapped her arms around him quickly. At first, it caught him off guard before he melted into her touch and wrapped his arms around her small frame and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

  
Sergeant Grey raised an eyebrow at his two officers in front of him. He should have expected it in all honestly. They were both adults and Tim wasn’t her TO anymore. They were partners.

  
He cleared his throat causing the two officers in front of him to break apart. Embarrassment quickly spread across Lucy’s face when she made eye contact with her sergeant. “I’m glad she’s going to be okay,” he said addressing Tim. “Take a couple of days, whatever you need. We’ll manage until you come back. I’ll stop by in the morning to check-in.” He shook Tim’s hand and nodded towards Lucy. He stepped around the couple and headed towards the door. “Officer Chen,” he says over his shoulder, “take a couple of days.”

  
Many of the other officers expressed their thoughts and hoped for a speedy recovery before shaking Tim’s hand and leaving the small waiting room. A nurse appeared a few minutes after the doctor left to escort Tim and Lucy to Ellie’s room in the ICU.

  
During his time on the force, he had seen countless dead bodies. Overdoses in alleys. People dead from gunshot wounds. A few that were beat to death and others for various reasons. Something about seeing his own flesh and blood lying motionless in a hospital bed churned his gut the wrong way.

  
She was almost as pale as the plain white sheet beneath her. The only sound in the room being that of the heart rate monitor indicating with each beep that Ellie was still alive. Just asleep, not dead, just asleep.

  
They sat across from each other for a while. Lucy could see tension slowly releasing from Tim’s shoulders as his eyes raked over Ellie’s still form.

  
Lucy left to get them some food something other than stale hospital food. She returned not long after carrying two white sacks with their dinner. Tim was reluctant to eat, but Lucy ultimately convinced him. It had been a long day for everyone, especially him.

  
“ _I thought I had lost her_ ,” he said breaking the silence that had settled between them. “ _When I heard Dosson’s voice over the radio, I thought…I thought she was already gone. I don’t know what I would do without her, Lucy. She’s been my life since the day she was born, and I thought I lost her again.”_

  
“But you didn’t. She’s still here and she’s going to be fine.”

  
Tim nods letting silence fall back over them temporarily. “ _The night before she left for college, we got in a fight about it_ ,” he started, his gaze steady on Ellie. “ _I wanted her to stay in LA so I could keep my eye on her, but she wanted to leave. When her mom left us, she wanted to get away and I didn’t want to let her go. I told her…if she left then she shouldn’t come back. Every day that passed, I waited and waited for her to come back, begging me to let her come home, but she never did.”_

  
“She’s strong. A lot like you,” Lucy interjects causing Tim to shake his head with a smile.

  
“ _No, she’s a lot stronger than I ever was at her age. When I joined the military, I did it to run away from home. I haven’t been back except for a couple of times. She’s never met my parents because I didn’t want to expose her to that. The next morning when she left after our fight, I didn’t even tell her bye. Anything could have happened to her and I was so determined to get her to stay that I just let her leave.”_

  
“What was she like as a kid,” Lucy asked as she tried to keep him talking. The more he talked, the more he worked through. He was a man of few words at times so the more he got out the better.

  
“ _She was a great kid. I was always hard on her and she didn’t deserve it. Every small little step out of line, I was on her. I regret it sometimes, being too harsh on her, but it was all I ever knew. Tough love as my dad would call it. Her mom was always jealous of the relationship we had, I guess she couldn’t understand why Ellie gravitated towards me more than her. Truth is I didn’t understand it either, but everywhere I went, she was right there beside me.”_

  
“Is Isabel her mom?”

  
Tim paused for a moment, casting his eyes to the floor beside the bed. “ _Yeah_ ,” he finally replied. “ _She told she was pregnant right before I deployed the first time_.”

  
“That had to be scary?”

  
“ _Yeah, it was. Not knowing if I was going to be there to be apart of her life. I was there when she was born. I held this little baby in my hands and when I looked at her, it scared the crap out of me_ ,” he said moving his hands like he was holding an infant with a grin. “ _This little life was now my responsibility. I was supposed to protect her from anything and everything. Then I watched her grow up before my eyes. She went from being this little bitty person who needed to hold my hand as we crossed the street to a strong, willful, stubborn young lady. She’s the greatest thing I have ever done.”_

  
“Does she know about everything that happened with Isabel? And that you were nearly killed in this same situation?”

  
“ _No_ ,” he said looking up to Lucy on the other side of the bed. “ _I don’t want her to know that unless it was absolutely necessary. She shouldn’t have to see her mother like that. I’m pretty sure Lopez gave her small details about getting shot, but she never mentioned it.”_

  
It was Lucy’s turn to stay quiet. Memories of her own childhood clouded her thoughts. She wished her dad felt the way about her that Tim did about Ellie. “She’s lucky to have a dad like you.”

  
“ _No_ ,” he says softly his eyes flickering back over to Ellie. “ _I’m the one that got lucky. She changed my life in the best way possible_.”  
  
\--  
A couple of hours had passed when there was a knock on the door breaking Tim from his thoughts. He peeled his eyes away from Ellie to see Dosson standing in the open door. “Hey Tim,” he said stepping into the room.

  
“ _Dosson_.”

  
The man lowers his head as he steps closer. “I’m sorry this happened. I tried to keep her safe. I’m so sorry I couldn’t do that for you.”

  
“ _It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself for this._ ”

  
“I tried to keep things simple and safe. She always wanted to answer the high-risk calls, while I tried to avoid them. Is she going to be alright?”

  
Tim nods his head standing to his feet and walking over towards Dosson. “ _Yeah. They say she’s a fighter, she’ll pull through_.”

  
“She’s going to be a good cop. Two months in and she already reminds me of you. She’s going to be a good cop, better than I will ever be,” Dosson tucks his hands in his pockets. “I just wanted to check-in. Have a good night Bradford,” he says as he turns and heads for the door.

  
“ _Jeremy_ ,” he calls causing Dosson to turn back towards him. “ _Don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t your fault. You pulled her away from the gunfire. It could have happened to anyone out there. It’s a part of our job. It’s not your fault.”_

  
Dosson simply nods his head before continuing on his way out the door. Tim lets out a sigh as he eases back towards his chair. He spent the rest of the night keeping a watchful eye on Lucy and Ellie as they slept. After everything that happened, he truly felt like the luckiest man in the world. He had the two most important people in his life with him and he didn’t want that to change anytime soon.   
\--  
The morning sun was shining through the open blinds that covered the windows of the small hospital room when Ellie peeled her eyes open for the first time. The bright daylight assaulted her eyes as she squinted trying to adjust them. She shifted slightly trying to get ease into a more comfortable position but stopped immediately letting out a groan as the pain in her side flared.

  
“Oh hey, you’re awake,” she heard a woman’s voice beside her. Ellie rolled her head against the pillow to see Lucy sitting on the couch beside the bed. A stack of blankets and pillows sat at the other end. “I can call Tim. He just stepped out for some coffee,” she said reaching for her phone.

  
“No,” Ellie forced out. Lucy handed her a glass of water quickly and Ellie eagerly took a sip. “He probably didn’t sleep at all last night. Probably just needed to get some fresh air. Did you sleep here too?”

  
“Yeah,” Lucy said slowly, her embarrassment creeping to the surface.

  
A laugh escaped Ellie. She winced immediately, her hand moving towards the pain in her side. “He’s falling for you, ya know? I can see it every time he looks at you.” Ellie noticed the bashful smile appear on Lucy’s face as her cheeks started to turn pink. “Aye, there it is. I knew it,” Ellie cheered. “I’m not calling you mom though,” Ellie deadpanned causing Lucy to bust into a fit of laughter. “You’re good for him, seriously. It’s been a while and I’m glad he has someone to finally talk to,” Ellie told her seriously looking Lucy in the eyes.

  
Lucy was smiling at her when Tim walked back through the door with two cups of steaming coffee in his hands. “ _Hey_ ,” he said quickly noticing that she was awake. “ _How are you feeling_ ,” he asked handing Lucy her coffee.

  
“Side hurts, but I think I’m good. Do you know when I’ll be able to go home?”

  
“ _I never liked hospitals that much either, but you’ll probably be spending another night. I’ll go find a nurse or doctor_.”

  
Lucy and Ellie burst into laughter once he left the room. She groaned again holding her side. She was grateful for this time with Lucy. Something told her this wouldn’t be the last time the two talked. 


	6. Fine

“ _Have you seen Ellie_ ,” was the first thing out of Tim’s mouth when he first laid eyes on his former rookie.

“No. Why? Is everything okay,” Lucy asked once seeing the concern written all over Tim’s face.

Tim shrugged his shoulders. _“I don’t know. She wasn’t at the house this morning when I woke up and she won’t answer her phone. It’s supposed to be her first day back and I have no idea where she is.”_

“I didn’t see her in the locker room. Call her again and I’ll go check again,” Lucy said putting her hand on his arm trying to calm him down.

Tim nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed clicked Ellie’s number on his phone and brought the phone to his ear. He turned sharply when he heard a familiar ring tone start playing. His eyes scanned the mass of officers until his eyes landed on Ellie as she walked out of Grey’s office. He saw her look at her phone for a split second before she ignored his call and slid it back in her pocket.

“ _Where have you been_ ,” he asks barreling across the room towards her.

“I just got in a little earlier than everyone else. No big deal,” she tried to downplay. Ellie tried to brush passed him, but he held her arm and pulled her away from everyone.

“ _Not a big deal_ ,” Tim asked baffled. “ _I called you twenty times and you couldn’t answer one_?”

“Seventeen, if we’re being exact,” she retorted earning one of the famous Bradford glares. “And I was busy. I was just about to see you anyway so calm down.”

“ _Calm down_ ,” he asked raising his voice. Others turned to look at the pair quickly. “ _You got shot three weeks ago and it’s your first day back. Excuse me for being a little concerned about my daughter’s safety._ ”

“I’m fine,” she said shortly. “The doctors cleared me. Grey thinks I’m fine. I’m fine so stop worrying,” she spat annoyed already. “I have to get to roll call,” she said brushing past him and towards the room.

Tim stood there for a moment trying to control the fire that was burning in his gut. He closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long day. He turned and followed her to roll call. His glare fixed on her as he sat back at his table between Lopez and Harper.

“Alright people,” Grey said setting into the conference room and stepping behind the podium, “settle down.” His eyes scanned the room of officers briefly when a smile appeared on his face. “Officer Ellie Bradford, welcome back,” he said stepping off the small stage and walking over towards Ellie. “How are you feeling?”

“Good sir. Just ready to get back out there.”

“Good,” he said turning back towards the podium. “As most of you already know, Officer Dosson transferred stations. So that means, our boot needs a new TO. Anyone want to volunteer?”

Confusion painted Ellie’s face at his words. Dosson transferred stations? Why? Did he blame himself for her getting shot? Ellie raised her hand causing Grey to look at her. “Sorry, Bradford but you can’t train yourself,” he ribbed causing the room to laugh.

“No, sir. Dosson transferred stations? Why?”

When Grey was quiet for a second, Ellie’s thoughts immediately went to her father. Had he forced Dosson transfer so he wouldn’t be her TO anymore because she got shot? She felt her temperature start to rise just at the thought. He had no right to try and control her training.

“Officer Dosson made the decision to step away from being a TO for a while,” Grey said somberly, his eyes steady on Ellie. “So, who wants the boot?”

Silence saturated the room. No one to be responsible for Tim Bradford’s daughter. Grey smiled as his eyes scanned the group of officers in front of him. “What? No one wants the rook? That’s fine because I already had a request.” His eyes flickered from Ellie towards the back of the room and back again. “For the first time that I can recall, we’re going to have a father and daughter riding together,” he smiled proudly at the room.

Ellie turned towards her father, who’s unwavering glare was already on her. She shook her head before turning back to the front.

“Oh, you did not,” Lopez whispered leaning over towards Tim beside her. This was not going to end without a fight.

Right after Grey dismissed them from roll call, Ellie bolted to get their equipment. She grabbed their bags and turned to head to their shop when he appeared behind her. “ _Are you done wasting my time boot?_ ”

Ellie glared at him for a second. “Just waiting on you, sir,” she said sharply brushing passed him, hitting his shoulder as she went by.

He wanted to storm in there after her and yell at her already, but he knew it would do more harm than good. He grabbed two body cams from the charging ports on the wall and turned towards the garage. Lopez blocked his path quickly. “I know what you’re going to try and do and it’s not going to work.”

Tim rolled his eyes trying to step around her. “ _I think I know how to handle my daughter. She needs to get right back in the action. Not riding around holding hands all day_.” He walked passed her waiting for her to say something else, but when she didn’t, he stopped and turned back towards her. _“What do you want me to do_?”

“Just take it easy today. She’s not you, Tim.”

“ _I don’t do easy_ ,” he said gruffly heading towards the garage.

Ellie had just finished loading the equipment when he came through the sliding door. He handed her the body camera in his hand. “ _I don’t know what crawled up your leg and bit your ass this morning, but lose the attitude_ ,” he told her sternly as she clipped the body camera into place on her chest.

“Yes, sir,” she says walking away from him and towards the passenger side. After she climbs inside, she opens the pill bottle from her pocket and takes two little pills just as Tim climbs in the car.

“ _Did you do your checks boot_?”

“Checked for damage to the shop. There’s a scratch on the back-driver side, documented and reported. You might want to clean up your driving though,” she said dully earning a glare from the driver’s side. “Backseat is clear, shotguns are clear and loaded, warbags are stocked, body cam is functional, the computer is signed in and light and sirens are operable. Is there anything else you want to know,” she asked annoyed turning her head to look at him beside her.

" _No_ ,” he said gruffly starting the car. He shook his head as they pulled out of the garage and headed towards the streets of LA.

\--  
Their shift hadn’t been all that bad overall so far. They answered a call about a welfare check, a car accident, and conducted a few traffic stops. The silence was prevalent in the car. Neither wanting to break the silence that fell over them.

They were driving down a neighborhood street when Tim slammed on the brakes causing Ellie’s seatbelt to tighten around her torso. “ _I’m shot boot_ ,” he yelled. “ _Where are you?! I’m bleeding out! You have to call for help! Where are you?_ ”

Ellie grimaced briefly at how tight the belt wrapped around her. “7th street with South Norton avenue as a cross,” she said calmly looking at Tim beside her. She couldn’t tell if he was impressed that she knew their location or if he was plotting his next question as he eyed her.

“7-Adam-19, possible domestic violence at 652 South Adren Boulevard,” dispatch called over the radio.

“ _Roger, 7-Adam-19 responding_ ,” Tim said after reaching for the radio, his eyes still locked on Ellie. He flipped on the lights and sirens and slammed on the gas, throwing Ellie back in her seat. “ _When we step out of this shop, I need you to be focused. I need you to be prepared for whatever may happen_ ,” he told her once they pulled up outside the house.

“Did you request for me to ride with you because you wanted to keep an eye on me? Of course, you did,” she huffed as he stayed silent beside her. Ellie pushes her door open and eases her out. “I don’t need you hovering over me. I’m fine,” she tells him gruffly as she slams the car door shut.

“ _Focus, boot. We’ll talk about your feelings later_ ,” he says walking around the car passed her and towards the door. “ _LAPD_ ,” he yells as he bangs on the door.

A frazzled woman throws the door open causing both Ellie and Tim to cautiously take a step back quickly. “What are you doing here,” she asks clearly irritated at them being on her porch.  
  
“Ma’am,” Ellie starts, “we received a call about a possible domestic situation. Are you okay?”

“It was probably my nosy ass neighbors. They’re always calling the cops.”

“ _Does this happen often_ ,” Tim asks.

“No. Everything’s fine,” the woman says briefly. “Thanks for stopping by,” she says hastily closing the door in their face before they could ask any more questions.

Tim and Ellie turn and look at each other, both with questioning looks on their faces. “Something’s not right,” she says as they turn and head off the porch.

“ _Yeah, I’ve been saying that all morning_.”

“I mean about this call,” she snapped looking over at him.

“ _Yeah, but there’s not much we can do about it without her allowing us in_ ,” he said as they started towards the car.

  
A loud crash erupts from the house pausing both Bradfords in their steps. “ _You’re buying me a drink for every attempt to kick the door in_ ,” Tim tells her as they run back to the house. Both drew their weapons as they staged ready to go. Tim gave her a nod. The door flew up on her first attempt causing Ellie to smile at her father.

Quickly, they entered the house. Clearing each room trying to find the woman that had answered the door. Coming into the kitchen they saw the woman and man standing on opposite sides of a large glass mess. Both were now bloody, either from a fight or the glass that had fallen.

“ _Both of you step away from the glass_ ,” Tim demands making their presence known to the couple.

The man’s heated glare lands on them in the doorway. Ellie could see the knife in his hand. “You called the damn cops? You fuckin’ bitch,” the guy snarls as he starts towards the woman.

Without thinking, Ellie holsters her gun and darts after the man. She tackles him to the floor causing the knife in his hand to fall to the floor. She tried to turn the man over to cuff him, but he used his weight to his advantage and flipped them over so Ellie was the one with her back to the floor. First, he hit her just under the eye and then again on the other side of her face. She felt his fist making contact with her side. Ellie was able to sweep her elbow up and hit the guy in the nose causing him to break his concentration.  
She flipped them over with a struggle. Her fist making contact with his face time and time again. She felt the muscles in her side start to scream in pain with each punch she threw. She was mid-swing when someone grabbed her shoulders and threw her off the man.

She lands on her back looking up at the ceiling. She had miraculously missed the giant pile of glass and landed just to the right of it. “ _7-Adam-19, we need an ambulance at our location,_ ” she hears her father say into his walkie. She hears the clinking of metal as he cuffs the guy. She tilts her head up to see him looking back at her from where he’s kneeled on the floor. “ _Well, that was stupid_.”

Ellie groans as she lays her head back down on the cold tile floor. Her hand absentmindedly holding her side. She could feel his eyes on her as she tried to pull herself up. “I’m fine,” she groaned standing to her feet, “thanks for asking.”  
\--  
  
Ellie was sitting in the back of an ambulance as they cleaned her wounds on her face and hands. They rewrapped her side because the wound had reopened slightly. She winced in pain when the medic wiped her hand down with an alcohol wipe. “Sorry,” the man said softly as he tried to delicately tend to her wounds.

The man in front of her didn’t look that much older than herself. He had short brown hair and deep green eyes. “We have to stop meeting like this Officer Bradford,” he said with a smile looking up at her.

“We met before,” she asked confused taking a good look at the medic tending to her hand.

The medic before her nodded. “I was there the day you got shot.”

“Oh,” she said slowly. “You’re the one that kept me awake. You held her hand against my side. Thanks for not giving up,” she said softly looking away from him and towards her father, who was talking with other officers that had arrived on the scene.

The medic smiled at her again. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said after a moment. “So, what do you say about Friday after your shift, if you work, meet me for dinner? That way I can finally meet you when you’re not bleeding.”

Ellie grinned at the man before her. “Yeah, I can do that. After all, you’ve saved my life.”

“Good, it’s settled. I’ll pick you up from the station after your shift.”

“Yeah.”

“ _Are you done_ ,” Tim asked unamused at the pair as he stood outside the ambulance. The two occupants turned to him in shock. They hadn’t even heard him walk up.  
  
“Yeah. Yea,” the medic stumbled. “Officer Bradford,” he started his eyes flickering between Ellie and Tim for a moment, “is all patched up and ready to get back to work.”

Tim rolled his eyes and started away from the ambulance. “ _Let’s go boot_ ,” he yelled over his shoulder at Ellie, who was still frozen in the back of the ambulance.

“He’s your dad?”

“Yeah. He’s something else,” she mumbled as she continued to watch him walk away. “I better get going before he writes me up if he hasn’t already,” she said standing to her feet slowly. Her side screaming in protest and her head swimming.

“He wouldn’t do that.” Ellie just gives the man a look. “Never mind,” he laughs.

Ellie gingerly climbed out of the ambulance with assistance. She gave the medic a quick smile before turning and heading towards the car, each step sending shots of pain up her side. “My names Ellie,” she calls turning back to the medic. “That way you don’t have to call me Officer Bradford.”

The medic smiles at her. Ellie turns to head back to the car when her name is called over her shoulder. “Sean,” the medic says with a smile.

Ellie waves at him and heads towards her father. She can already see his glare as she approached the car.   
\---  
  
“How is she doing,” Lopez asked beside him as they ate their lunch. He, Lopez, and Harper sat together at a table just in front of the food trucks. His eyes were fixed on Ellie as she sat alone at a picnic table away from them. Her back was to them, but she knew he was staring. He had been most of the day like he was trying to make her crack from his stare.

He just shakes his head. “ _She won’t talk about it. She beat the hell out of a guy this morning and didn’t even think twice about it. She just dove in and handled the situation_.”

“If that was Chen then you’d be ecstatic right now. What’s changed?”

He takes a sip of his drink before shrugging his shoulders. " _She doesn’t do that. She always tries to talk people down; she doesn’t just jump them and start swinging. I need to get her to break.”_

“Are you sure that’s the best option? Why don’t you just talk to her?”

  
“ _She won’t talk to me_ ,” he huffs. “ _She won’t talk about it unless she has to_.”

“So what are you planning?”

“ _I don’t know yet_ ,” he says softly, his eyes still fixed on Ellie as she takes two more little pills.   
\--  
  
It was after their shift had ended that Ellie found herself in the station’s gym wailing on the punching bag that hung from a rack. She had wrapped her hands to avoid busting them up worse than they already were from earlier. Each swing causing a ripple effect of pain from her arm down her body.

She needed to work through it. Being weak wasn’t an option. Letting pain stop her from doing her job was not an option. She knew that people thought she was crazy and that she came back too quickly but sitting at home day in and day out was driving her crazier each passing day.  
  
She was a rookie. She had to prove herself to her fellow officers that she was just as tough as everyone else. Being Tim Bradford’s daughter, she felt an extra sense of wanting to prove herself more and more.  
  
Sweat was dripping from her forehead as she continued to relentlessly hit the bag before her. She didn’t want to stop just because of the pain that was erupting from her side more and more each time her fist made contact with the leather bag. Her music was blaring in her ears as she trying to keep herself going, not wanting to quit.  
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye causing her to stop. Ellie put her hands on the bag stopping it from swinging before she pulled her headphone out of her ears. She turned around to face him. She knew he would come looking for her.  
  
“ _What are you doing_ ,” he asked once her attention was focused on him.  
  
“ _What does it look like_ ,” she retorted breathing heavily. She grabbed her nearby towel and wiped the sweat from her face.  
  
Tim shook his head stepping deeper into the gym. “ _Why are you doing this_ ,” he asked when he was standing right in front of her. Two sets of blue eyes searching the others looking for answers. “ _You’re going to hurt yourself_.”  
  
“I’m fine,” she huffed looking away from him.  
  
“ _When I got shot, I rushed back. Just like you have, and I know what’s going through your head. You want to be able to prove that you are just as tough as anyone else and that getting hurt isn’t going to slow you down. Ellie, no one will think you’re weak for taking more time off.”_  
  
“Is that what you told yourself? Did you take more time off?”  
  
Tim shook his head. “ _No_ ,” he said softly. “ _I know what it’s like coming back after something like that. I know what it did to me, and I don’t want that to happen to you._ ”  
  
Ellie smiled and looked to the floor for a moment. “When I was growing up, you taught me not to be afraid. That when something knocks you down to get back up like you were never knocked down and fight for what you want.” Ellie walked over to her bag that was sitting on the bench before turning back to him. “I wanted to make you proud,” she said looking him in the eyes. “When I woke up the hospital, I felt like I let you down. I wanted to get back before I missed to much time so I could still complete my rookie year. So that I could make you proud, but every step I take, I feel this tug of pain that makes me want to scream. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sit. It hurts to stand, everything hurts,” she said tearfully. “I didn’t want to disappoint you, but apparently that’s exactly what I did.”  
  
Ellie grabbed her bag from the bench and started to walk passed him out of the gym when he grabbed her arm. He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her sweaty frame. Ellie closed her eyes trying to keep the tears from escaping as she pressed her head into his chest. “ _You didn’t_ ,” he starts but stops his own voice overcome with emotion. “ _You never will_ ,” he tells her softly placing a kiss on the top of her head as he continued to hold her in his warm protective embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Thanks for reading! If you made it this far, then I want to say thank you for sticking with me through this story! Now that everyone's favorite father-daughter is paired up, where do we go from here? More chenford moments to come and a little surprise visit coming later! 
> 
> Join me on Tumblr (@therookiebook)! I can't wait to see how everyone reacts to this chapter! Comments are appreciated! Thanks again!


	7. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They tend to say that history repeats itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook!  
> Let me know what you think!

“I can’t believe that you crashed by date again,” Ellie groaned leaning her head back on the headrest as they drove through the streets on patrol.  
  
Beside her, Tim shook his head. “ _I didn’t crash your date on purpose…this time_.”  
  
“This time,” she asked looking over at her father beside her. “So, you and Lucy just decided to have a totally innocent dinner at the same restaurant as me and Sean?”  
  
“ _Well…_ ”  
  
“Uh-huh,” she mutters keeping her eyes locked on him as a slight smile appears on his face.  
  
“ _You didn’t exactly pick the least popular place in LA to eat plus they have a good steak_.”  
  
“Did you follow me there or did it just happen by chance?”  
  
“ _We didn’t follow you_ ,” he defended. “ _Lucy might have tracked your phone though_ ,” he mumbled.  
  
“What did you just say,” she screeched.  
  
Tim turns his head to look at her with a smile on his face. Gunshots ringing out from the street derails any thoughts he was processing. He slams on the brakes as their eyes search for the gunman. “There,” Ellie points at a man as he turns and starts running down an alley.  
  
“ _I’ll cut him off_ ,” Tim tells her as she slips out of the car. Her door closes just as the words leave his mouth and she takes off running after the man.  
  
Ellie knew she was catching the guy. He would look back every couple of steps to check the distance between them, the worry increasing each time he laid eyes on her. She could see the squad car turn down the alley and start towards them. Her hand moves to her gun, ready to draw.  
  
The man comes to a hasty stop once he realizes that he’s trapped between two officers. She knew this wasn’t an ideal situation. There was a possibility for crossfire, but she didn’t plan of firing her gun and she hoped her father would give her some type of signal before he opened fire.  
  
“Put the gun down,” she demands drawing her gun and aiming at the man. Tim opened the door to the squad and drew his gun also locked in on the man before them.  
  
“I ain’t going back to prison,” the man yells as he frantically turns his head to look at both Tim and Ellie.  
  
“ _You should have thought of that before you started shooting your gun in public_ ,” she hears Tim quip shortly. They make brief eye contact before focusing on the man between them.  
  
The guy turns to face Ellie, his gun pointing at her. “You’re going to have to shoot me.”  
  
“I don’t want to do that,” she yells. “Just put the gun down and we can work something out.”  
  
A timid smile appears on the man’s face. “I can’t do that. I can’t go back to prison.”  
  
“The only way that’s going to happen is if you shoot us. I know you don’t want to do that. I’ve been shot before, about two months ago and it hurts like hell, but only managed to piss me off. So, you shoot me first, that officer behind you isn’t going to miss. Some say he’s a bit protective,” she said calmly keeping her attention focused on the man. “So put the gun down,” she demands easing a couple of steps closer to the man.  
  
She could see the hesitation in the man’s face as he raked over the possible decisions in his head. He could shot her and get shot himself or he could surrender, and no one gets hurt.  
  
Ellie felt herself let out a breath she’d been holding when the guy leaned down and dropped the gun. “ _On your knees, hands behind your head_ ,” Tim demands finally walking out from behind the car door towards the man.  
  
Ellie holsters her gun before picks the gun up from the ground as he starts cuffing him. Tim gives her a little nod as he brings the man to his feet. Ellie released the magazine and checked the chamber. A single bullet popped out. There was no way the guy was going to be able to get both of them. Did he know that or was his goal today to get killed by the cops?  
  
She walked over to the car just as Tim finished reading the guy his rights. “There was only one bullet,” she states bleakly, her eyes examining the man’s face. He knew. He knew there was a possibility he wouldn’t leave this alley breathing.  
  
She watched as her father put the man back of the shop. “Does it ever get easier,” she asked once he shut the door. This didn’t feel right. Why would someone want the cops to end their lives intentionally?  
  
“ _What_ ,” he asked. His deep blues meeting hers that were hesitant as she stayed stationary in front of the car.  
  
“People wanting you to kill them?”  
  
Tim stayed quiet for a moment as he studied her. “ _Not really, no_.”  
  
Ellie nodded slowly. Her gaze fixed over his shoulder on the brick building. “ _But you handled it exactly how I would have expected any other officer to, even myself_ ,” he told her causing her to look at him. _“Alright, we need to get this guy processed_ ,” he said opening the driver door.  
  
Ellie stayed planted for a moment. An ugly alternative scenario playing out in her head before she pulled herself out of the haze. She walked slowly over the passenger side, she looked at the man in the backseat quickly before climbing in. It was just part of the job.  
\--  
Neither said a word once they arrived back at the station. They took the man back to booking and started the process. She was in the process of doing his fingerprints when some movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She glanced at it quickly not paying much attention to it and focused back on the man before her. When she led him over to the photo station, Ellie caught a glimpse of the holding cell behind the glass.  
  
She froze in her spot, her eyes unable to leave the figure in the cell. Anger, hurt, and sadness that she had been holding deep inside all rushed to the surface at once. “Dad,” she said softly never breaking her stare across the room.  
  
Tim tilted his head at her, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. He walked over to where Ellie stood stationary, following her gaze to the holding cells. If she listened hard enough, she would be able to hear his heart beating out of his chest. “Is that…Is that,” she stuttered unsure of if she was actually seeing what she thought she was.  
  
“ _Stay here_ ,” he demands walking away from her. “ _Can someone finish booking him_ ,” he asks walking to the other side of the room. He motions for one of the officers to open the door. He looked back over his shoulder at Ellie as she still stood planted in her spot, a mix of emotions on her face.   
\--  
“ _Why are you here_ ,” he asks sharply once the door was closed behind him. His narrow-hardened glare never leaving the woman that was sitting on the bench with her back pressed against the wall of the cell.  
  
The woman looked up at him and immediately rolled her eyes. “I messed up.”  
  
Tim could see the dark bags under her eyes and how skinny she had gotten. The track marks that ran up her arm were revealed by her torn sleeve. “ _I thought you were clean_ ,” he spat. _“A year ago, you were on the right path. What changed_?”  
  
The woman pushed off the bench and stood in front of him. She cast her eyes downward before looking up at his towering form. “I got tempted and there was no one there to stop me.”  
  
“ _How solid is the arrest_?”  
  
“Solid,” she says shortly. “They found an ounce of heroin in the car.”  
  
“ _An ounce_ ,” he exclaimed. “ _How could you be so stupid after the last time this happened_?”  
  
The woman shrugged turning away from him. When she turned back, her eyes fixed on Ellie on the other side of the room. “So, she followed in your footsteps after all huh?”  
  
“ _Don’t look at her_ ,” he snapped. “ _You lost that right when you left us_.”  
  
“Well tomorrow after they get a search warrant for my place, they are going to find a kilo of cocaine in my heating vent,” she said grimly looking back at Tim.  
  
“ _Are you crazy_ ,” he whispered harshly. “ _How far gone are you? I thought you had changed, but that’s just how drug addicts are_.”  
  
The woman walked up to him. She put her hands on his face. “You can take care of that for me then we can be a family again. All three of us.”  
  
Tim shook his head. He pulled her hands away from his face. “ _We’re never going to be a family again Isabel. You don’t get to try and manipulate me this time. We’re through here_ ,” he yelled turning back towards the door so a guard could open the door. “ _Let’s go boot_ **,** ” he yelled as soon as the door was opened, and he walked out.  
  
Ellie’s eyes stayed fixated on her mother for a minute. Her thoughts running rampant in her brain. “ _Ellie, let’s go_ ,” she heard him demand closer this time. She pulled her eyes away from those of her mothers to look at her father. She saw his features soften when he saw her face. “ _Let’s go_ ,” he demanded once more. Ellie broke the concrete around her feet and followed him out the door.  
\--  
It was hours later after their shift ended that Ellie found herself standing outside the cell in holding. Her father had tried to convince her to take the rest of the day off, but she refused. This was just something she would have to work through. She had told him she made plans with Sean so he could leave without her. He was hesitant but reluctantly agreed.  
  
Now she found herself standing outside this cell staring at the woman who sat on the bench with her eyes closed. She wanted to beat on the glass and scream, but that would draw more attention than was necessary.  
  
“Can I get this door opened,” she asked a booking guard as the desk, who nodded their head before coming to unlock the door.  
  
The lock turning in the door caused the woman to open her eyes and meet Ellie’s eyes. A smile landed on her face once Ellie stepped in. “Ellie,” she called sweetly. She stood and walked over to Ellie and wrapped her in her arms. Ellie stood motionless not moving her arms to embrace the woman, just staring ahead at the wall. “You look so good baby,” she says softly pulling away from Ellie and holding her at an arm’s length.  
  
“Why are you here,” she asked shortly. She didn’t want to exchange compliments with the woman. She wanted her questions answered for the first time in over four years.  
  
Isabel smiled at her. “You were always such much like your father,” she said reaching and tucking a piece of Ellie’s hair behind her ear. “Always right to the point.”  
  
“That didn’t answer my question,” Ellie replied blankly. “Why are you here?”  
  
The woman huffed, dropping her arms from Ellie’s arms. “Momma got in a little trouble.”  
  
Ellie rolled her eyes. She was tempted to just leave and never talk to the woman again, but her heart wanted to know more. “I trusted you,” she said softly looking around the room. She felt tears starting to build in her eyes. “I thought you would never leave me, but you did. Our family was destroyed because you decided the drugs were worth more than us,” she spat furiously. “Dad doesn’t know that I know what happened before. You got arrested before and made a deal to get rehab instead of jail.”  
  
“That was the past baby, I’ve changed. It only happened one time and then I got caught.”  
  
“Don’t call me that,” she seethed. “Did you think about me when you stuck that needle in your arm? Did you think about all the pain that you caused us? Or were you only concerned about the high you were about to get,” Ellie asked shaking her head. Her hands curled into a fist at her side. “I left LA, ya know,” Ellie stated darkly. “After I graduated high school, I left. I ran away from you. I ran away from dad. I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible with hopes that I could start over. A new life, a new beginning,” Ellie’s lips twitched causing a brief sad smile to appear. “But it didn’t help,” she said shaking her head, her eyes cast towards the cement floor. “So, I came back. I couldn’t let the anger I felt towards you control my life anymore.”  
  
Isabel stayed quiet in front of her. “We’re happy,” Ellie added causing the woman to look up at her. “Dad and I…we’re still working through things, together, but we don’t need you anymore. Our family was taken from us, but we’re going to be alright. Both of us. Without you.”  
  
“We can still be a family. All of us,” Isabel said walking closer to Ellie. “I need you to do me a favor though.”  
  
“What? What do you want me to do?”  
  
“In my apartment,” she started lowly. “There’s a kilo of cocaine in my heating vent.”  
  
Ellie shook her head back away from the woman in front of her. “Are you serious,” she spat venomously. “Are you fuckin’ crazy?”  
  
“It’s the only way we can be together again,” Isabel whispered hastily. “Just don’t tell your dad. We will be a family again. Just keep this between us. Okay. Okay, baby?” She tried to reach for Ellie’s face, but she swatted her hand away and backed away from her until her back was against the door.  
  
Ellie knocked loudly on the door signaling the guard to come open the door. Her eyes never leaving her mothers. When the door opened, Ellie flew out of the cell quickly. She looked over her shoulder once seeing the woman she used to love pressed up against the glass watching her as she fled.


	8. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Thanks for reading and sticking with me so far! Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook!! Let me know what you think!!

The darkness surrounded them as they waited. The streetlight down the street provided just enough light for Lucy to see Tim’s face beside her. He was worried. She could tell by how his eyes never left the entrance of the apartment complex. She could see his leg bouncing more and more with each passing minute. His arm was propped against the window with his head on his fist. He didn’t get that worried about a lot of things, but tonight was different.  
  
“How do you know she’s going to show up,” she asked breaking the lingering silence between them looking over at her former training officer.  
  
Tim peeled his eyes away from the apartment entrance to look over at Lucy. She saw the dark circles starting to form under his eyes. “I just know,” he said softly before looking away from her and back out the windshield.  
  
Even after Ellie tried to convince him that she was going out with Sean for the evening, he knew it was a lie. She was too much like him, he would tell himself. He knew she would end up talking to Isabel and that Isabel would tell her the same thing she told him earlier in the day. The kilo of cocaine was supposedly the key to getting Isabel out of jail and back to them. Tim knew that Ellie wanted her mother to come home to them, but after this happened the last time, he knew she would never be back.  
  
“We’ve been here for four hours already and it’s almost midnight,” Lucy said looking down at the watch on her wrist. “We have to work tomorrow, maybe she’s already home asleep.”  
  
“How long did you wait for me to show up the last time this happened,” he questioned looking back over at Lucy beside him. He already knew the answer.  
  
Lucy only nodded her head beside him. Her own eyes looking back out the windshield towards the entrance to the apartments. “Tim,” she said quickly when she saw someone enter the apartment complex dressed in all black.  
  
Tim hummed beside her sitting straight up in his seat. “Now we wait,” he said tensely as he continued to watch the apartments.  
\--  
Ellie crept through the darkness on the street staying close to the fence to avoid being seen. She was dressed in black pants with a black hoodie that covered her head. It was nearly midnight so anyone that was going to try and stop her was already in bed she thought. She texted Tim earlier in the evening saying she would be staying to Sean’s tonight since it was already so late, and she would see him in the morning at work.  
  
She eased up the stairs of the apartment building quickly making her way down the metal walkway towards apartment 105. She checked over her shoulder as she walked up to make sure she wasn’t being followed. She felt a mix of emotions when she reached the door. Was this worth it? Would she come back to them after this? Could she forgive herself for not doing this? Would her father be able to look her in the eyes after tonight? All these questions and more raced through her mind.  
  
Ellie paused at the door trying to gain composure. She reached in her pocket for the lock pick set that she had taken from the station. Her father had taught her when she was a teenager how easily it was to pick a lock if done properly. Her heart fluttering at the sound of the lock being turned. Ellie pushed the door open looking over her shoulder once more; she was in the clear.  
  
Stepping into the apartment, Ellie looked around quickly. She wanted to get out of her quickly just in case someone was supposed to come home. She didn’t know who her mother was living with. She looked around the living room and noticed a picture frame sitting on the table just under the lamp. Walking closer, she remembered the picture.  
She was twelve when the photo was taken. As a family, they had decided to spend the warm, sunny day at the park. Isabel packed them a picnic lunch while Tim brought the football. They were all smiles and all so happy. Ellie was leaned back in Tim’s arms with Isabel was leaned in close to them as they smiled for the picture. A drop of regret washed over Ellie as she stood looking at the photo. She sat the photo back down before turning and looking around the rest of the room.  
  
Immediately her eyes locked on the white air vent. Ellie swallowed heavily walking over to it. She pulled the cover off the wall and her eyes landed on the bundle of drugs. Ellie closed her eyes and shook her head. She had really hoped she wouldn’t find it.  
  
She sat with her back against the sofa as she stared at the kilo in her hand. She didn’t know what to do. Confusion doesn’t mix well with pain. Ellie sat there for a moment longer trying to decide what she wanted to do and if it was worth it both ways.  
\--  
“Tim,” Lucy said again when they saw the black figure move out of the darkness and towards a car on the street.  
  
Tim opened the door of his truck just as Ellie opened her car door. Her eyes landed on him the second he stepped out of the truck. He could see the fear in her eyes as he walked closer to her. Ellie closed her door harshly, she met him in the middle of the road. “You can’t help but follow me wherever I go, can you?”  
  
“I’m just trying to stop you from making a mistake,” he replied calmly. “Doing this isn’t going to change how things are and you know that.”  
  
“How do you know,” she spat. Her eyes locked onto his. “Did you try to help her last time? When she cut a deal instead of facing jail time, did you help her?”  
  
She saw the confusion wash over his face. “Who told you that?”  
  
A faint smile pulled at her lips before she looked away from him shaking her head. “No one had to tell me. You think I didn’t keep tabs on you and her when I left? I didn’t know how far she had gone, but I knew she got off last time. So, tell me, did you help her?”  
  
Tim was silent for a minute. He looked over his shoulder at Lucy who was still sitting in the truck, her eyes focused on the pair. “I wanted to,” he said looking back towards Ellie. “I wanted to so bad, but someone told me that helping her would be a mistake because she wasn’t going to change. She was right. The only person that can help your mother right now is herself,” he said stepping closer to Ellie. “She shouldn’t have asked you to do this. Do you think if she still loved you, she would have asked you to do this?”  
  
“I don’t know what to think,” Ellie snapped backing away from him. “All I wanted was for us to be a family again. I saw each passing day how much pain she put you through. I just wanted to make it better.”  
  
“I am happy,” he smiled at her. “For the first time since she left, I am happy. I have everything I ever wanted. My job, someone that believes in me and loves me for who I am, and you. Ellie, I have everything I will ever need. Don’t let her take our happiness away from us again.”  
  
Ellie shook her head as she turned away from him. “Ya know, I was up there trying to decide if I needed to help her or not wondering if it was all worth it,” she said opening her door before looking back at him. “Thanks for having so much faith in me,” she added sarcasm evident in her dejected tone. Ellie closed the door as she sat down in her front seat. She looked over at him once more giving him a brief sad smile before starting her car and driving away.  
  
Tim stayed standing in the middle of the street watching as Ellie’s taillights faded from his view. He shook his head slowly before he turned and started back towards his truck. He could see Lucy’s look of confusion as he opened the truck door and climbed inside.  
  
He didn’t say a word after shutting the door. His head leaned back against the headrest as he closed his eyes. He wanted to have faith that she would do the right thing in the end, but he knew how hard it was for him to reach that conclusion. If Lucy hadn’t tracked him down that night, he knew that the choice he made would have probably been different.  
  
“Well,” Lucy questioned out loud.  
  
Tim let out an audible breath before looking over at her. “She didn’t do it.”  
  
Lucy was quiet for a moment, her eyes raking over the concerned father beside her. She could see the worry still in his eyes as they looked at each other. “That’s good,” she said softly.  
  
Tim nodded finally looking away from her. He felt bad. He wanted to believe she would make the right choice in the end, but he needed to be sure before she went too far. “Yeah,” he said shortly before starting the truck. They needed to get home because they had a shift later.  
\--  
When Tim walked into the station later that morning, he was already angry. He didn’t get much sleep after leaving Isabel’s apartment. He couldn’t get his brain to stop overthinking the scenarios where Ellie takes the drugs and Isabel hurts her again. Each passing though just pushed him closer and closer to his boiling boil.  
  
He walked into booking just as they were starting to take Isabel out. “Can we get a minute,” he asks the detectives, his eyes already locked on Isabel. The detective nodded and stepped far enough away so that they couldn’t hear what they were going to say. He grabbed Isabel’s arm and moved her towards the back wall of booking even further away from listening ears.  
  
“Apparently you stopped her,” she said flatly once they came to a stop.  
  
“How could you ask your daughter to put her life, her career, on the line just so you could get a lesser charge? Do you realize how messed up that is,” he snapped. His deep blue eyes were full of fire as they latched on Isabel’s. “You lied to her. There was no chance we would be a family again.”  
  
“Maybe we could have been, but now you’ll never know,” she taunted as she tried to brush by him.  
  
Quickly, he grabbed her arm and moved her effortlessly back in front of him. “I didn’t have to stop her. She made that choice on her own,” he said lowly. Tim leaned down to her ear so that only she could hear what he was going to say next. “If you ever try to contact us again, I will make your life a living hell,” he threatened lowly. “We’re done here,” he says gruffly to the detectives as he turns and heads back towards the bullpen.  
  
He pushed the door open and starts towards roll call when his eyes land on Ellie and Lucy standing on the other side of the room bringing him to a stop. She’s looking right through him at Isabel as they lead her to the transport vehicle.  
  
“You did the right thing,” Chen said breaking the silence between them after Isabel left their sight.  
  
“Not for her,” Ellie said sharply before turning and walking away.   
  
Tim and Lucy shared a knowing look from across the room. He watched Ellie as she turned the corner and headed back towards the locker room. They shared a quick nod, both knowing that they would have to keep a watchful eye on Ellie during the shift today. She was strong but if anyone knew about the pain of letting something go before you were ready, it would be her father.


	9. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Thanks for sticking with me for this long! Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook!  
> (Not beta'd)

“Stop,” she yelled as the man as he fled down the alley. Ellie had been chasing the man for nearly five minutes already. They’ve made so many turns that she wasn’t sure which direction she was headed in or what street was closest. They were now surrounded by warehouses. Ellie caught a glimpse of him as he slipped through one of the doors just after she turned the corner of midway through the alley. “7-Adam-19, I’m at some warehouse probably east of my last location. The suspect has entered a white warehouse.”

Ellie pulled her gun as she neared the door. A quick scan of the building she didn’t notice any other exits, there was only one way in and out. Her guy was in here somewhere.

She turned the flashlight on her gun on allowing to see in front of her in the dark area. Ever so slowly and carefully, she started sweeping up and down the aisles trying to find her suspect. In the academy, they taught them how to clear buildings, but Grey told her on her first day to forget how the academy taught you to do things and your training officer would teach you. She didn’t exactly get to do much with her first TO, then she was out of work for about a month, and now her TO was her very own father who had a certain way of training his rookies.

After ten minutes of searching Ellie still hadn’t seen her suspect and she still had half of the warehouse to go. Ellie made her way to the main aisle of the warehouse and started clearing both left and right as she went. A loud crash came from her right causing Ellie’s head to immediately snap in that direction. Maybe she just caught a lucky break. Ellie turned towards the noise and started down the long stretch towards the end.

She knew it was a bad idea before she heard the heavy footfalls coming up behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of her suspect before his body crashes into hers sending her tumbling to the floor. Her gun flying out of her hand and skidding across the cement floor.

She felt her attacker’s hands on her as she tried to roll over.  _ You can’t defend yourself flat on your face.  _ Finally managing to roll her, she kicked him hard in the shin causing his leg to catch slightly. She pushed herself back trying to get to her gun, she just needed to get to her gun.

Two hands wrapped around her ankle stopping her from moving farther back. She could see the smile on his face. Ellie thrashed in his grip trying to loosen his grip so she could stand to her feet. The man held her legs steady now as he slowly inched over her. Summoning some core strength, Ellie came up swinging landing a hard-right punch to the man’s nose causing his grip to loosen on her legs.

The man stumbled back as Ellie pushed herself to her feet. She squared up to him ready to fight. An amused grin swept across his face when his eyes landed on her. He came at her again, his fist flying. Ellie was able to dodge the first, but the second one caught her just beside her mouth. She turned slightly allowing the man to wrap his muscled arms around her frame, she felt his hand slipping towards her belt towards her taser. Ellie threw her head back hitting him causing the man to slightly break his grip on her. Next, she threw an elbow into his side causing the man’s arms to loosen around her. Grabbing one of his arms, Ellie pulled the man’s arm as she jerked forward sending him over her shoulder.

He landed on his back on the cement floor groaning from the impact. Using his disorientation to her advantage, Ellie rolled the man onto his stomach before quickly cuffing his hands behind his back. She pushed off him sitting on the floor herself trying to regain her breath. After a minute of resting, she stood and retrieved her gun from where it was knocked away from her. Holstering her weapon, she approached the man laying on the ground. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “When they ask how you got those bruises, I recommend you told tell them a woman beat you up,” she teased as she led him out of the warehouse and back towards the car.

\--

After a little searching and many left and rights, Ellie finally found the car after ten minutes dragging the man along with her. She opened the back door and put the man inside. “Alright training is over boot. Take the cuffs off,” he said looking at Ellie who stood in the door of the patrol vehicle a smug grin on her face.

Her grin widens as she pulls out her phone. The flash followed by the shutter of her camera caught him off guard causing him to glare at the phone in her hand. Ellie started laughing at the picture. He was cuffed in the back of the police car, glaring a famous Bradford glare right into the camera. “Take them off,” he demanded.

Ellie pockets her phone. She grins at him once again. “Ha. No,” she says laughing once again. Ellie closes the car door leaving him in the back seat. She slid into the front seat looking back at him in the mirror, still grinning.

“You are in so much trouble,” he said from the backseat causing laugh again from the front seat.

She caught his scowling glare in the review mirror. “We haven’t even got photos with everyone yet,” she teased.

“You better not.”

“Oh, cheer up Pops and just enjoy the ride,” she said looking over her shoulder at him through the cage. Ellie pulled her phone out again and took another picture of him through the cage earning her another glare. Ellie turned back towards the front and started the car. It was lunchtime and the others needed to see this. She knew that she was going to be in trouble later, but right now it was so worth it.

\--

“You can’t leave him in the car the whole shift,” Lucy said sitting beside her as they ate their lunch. Their eyes were steady on the patrol car parked diagonally to them. The back windows were rolled down just enough so that plenty of air could waft through the car. They could see Tim’s form still sitting in the middle of the seat with his head leaned back. He was probably thinking over how to punish her later.

“Should I let him out,” she asked the group around her.

“Not a chance,” Lopez piped a wide smile on her face. “Let him suffer for a little while longer. Speaking of which, I’m going to go talk to him,” she said pushing her chair back. She grabbed her trash and drink and headed towards the patrol vehicle.

Harper joined her fellow TO and headed towards the shop leaving the West, Lucy, Nolan, and Ellie alone at the table. Any chance to mess with Bradford was a win in her book.

“When I tried this with Harper during my rookie year, she picked the cuffs and somehow opened the car door,” Nolan informed her, “but apparently Tim isn’t that flexible.”

“Do y’all want to see the pictures I got,” she asked digging out her phone to a chorus of ‘yeses’ from the other officers. 

\--

“I heard you got your ass kicked,” Lopez teased as she and Harper approached the vehicle, a grin on both of their faces.

Tim picked his head up to see them and rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’re enjoying this too?”

“Too much,” she said raising her phone to capture a picture of him for her own enjoyment.

“She’s enjoying this isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Lopez said softly looking back over her shoulder at Ellie showing the other the pictures on her phone. “She is indeed. I mean I can’t blame her. How many times have we seen Tim Bradford get a Bradford move pulled on him?”

Again, he rolled his eyes trying to readjust into a more comfortable position, but he couldn’t get too comfortable because of the metal cuffs around his wrist. “What the hell kind of move did you teach her,” he asked Harper.

“Women have to fight differently than guys. I just gave her some pointers because there was no way you were going to be able to teach her that. Apparently, she listens because look at you,” she teased earning a glare.

“Are either of you going to let me out,” he asked his fellow training officers.

“Nope.”

“Not a chance.” Lopez offered him another cheeky grin before she and Harper turned and headed back towards the table.

He huffed leaning his head back against the seat. She was going to be in so much trouble. 

\--

Ellie grabbing a bag from one of the food trucks when they walked back up. She handed the man some cash before turning back towards the table. “How mad is he?”

“Oh, he’s mad. You can see this brain is about to explode from overthinking so much, but it sure is funny.”

Ellie grinned at them slightly before looking back at the car. Maybe it was time, she let him out and face his wrath, but there was one more thing she wanted to do before that. “Well, I better go. There’s still something I want to do before I let him out.”

“How dead is she,” Harper asked as they watched Ellie walk away.

“I think she’ll be fine.”

When Ellie got back to the car, she sat the bag of food in the passenger seat and a drink in the console. “Is that mine,” he asked from the backseat causing Ellie to look over her shoulder at him.

“Maybe. Maybe I wanted two lunches today. Hang in there Pops. One more stop,” she winked back at him before turning back to the front. She started the car and backed them out of the parking lot headed towards their last destination.

“Where are you taking me,” he asked gruffly from after a while when Ellie turned the car towards the mountains.

Ellie shushed him looking back at him in the rearview. She drove them up to a hidden lookout, a place she had found when she was younger. It was a clear, open view of LA. A place where she would come to escape the city for a while and to just think.

Ellie shut the car off and opened the door. Grabbing the food and drink, she slid out of the car and set them on the hood before turning towards the backseat. “Alright out,” she said opening the door. She had to stifle a grin as he tried to wiggle across the seat. She grabbed his arm and helped him out of the car. Ellie turned him around and undid the cuffs around his wrists.

“Why did you bring me here?”

Ellie just turned away from him and towards the front of the vehicle. “Follow me,” she said simply beginning to walk towards the opening.

Tim huffed as he started to follow her. “At least you bought my lunch,” he called grabbing the bag and drink off the hood before following her.

Ellie sat on the picnic table looking out towards the city, while he sat on the bench and started eating his food. “She pled guilty,” Ellie said softly never looking away from the high rises in the distance. “She’s going to prison.”

“Yeah,” she heard him say behind her. “There’s nothing you could have done to help her, Ells.”

Ellie hung her head nodding softly. “What happened last time?”

She heard the sound of tin foil being crumpled and stuffed down in the bag before he stood to his feet. He walked up beside her; his hands stuffed in his pockets. “She made a deal to become a CI and she nearly got killed herself,” he started causing Ellie to look at him. “They shot her in the head, but she survived. They moved her to rehab afterward where she detoxed and got the counseling she needed. She looked good, like her old self,” he paused flickering his eyes over to Ellie before looking back towards the city.

“Did we do the right thing this time,” she asked looking up at him beside her.

Tim turned towards her. “Nothing you would have done would have helped her. There was nothing we could have done. Your mother…she hadn’t been the same woman that you knew in a long time. You made the right choice. She shouldn’t have put in that position that begin with.”

Ellie nodded beside him. She didn’t want to be sad, but she had just helped send her mother to prison for the next twenty years. Ellie would be around her father’s age when she got out. “I still love ya though even after this little stunt today,” he said with a smile draping his arm over her shoulder.

“How in trouble am I,” she asked looking up at him beside her.

She saw his curve into another grin. His shrugged looking down at her. “At least a thousand pushups,” he played. “We need to get back to the station so I can change,” he said as he started to walk away from her, “Oh, and I’m driving.”

Ellie took one last look at the city in the distance before she hopped off the table to catch up with him. “Thanks,” she said after catching up to him.

“For what,” he asked looking down at her. His once again draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. “Just doing my job.”


	10. Fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye!! Thanks for reading!! Not my best work this chapter, but I'm building towards the end (which I now know how I want to end this story)!! Once again, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!! More soon! 
> 
> Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook!!

The shrill sound of her ringtone broke through the darkroom. Ellie’s eyes snapped open quickly. She looked over her shoulder at Sean’s sleeping form behind her and smiled. He slept like a rock. Gently, she moved his arm off her side before she reached for the shrieking phone.  
  
‘Grandpa Grey’ was illuminated in bright white letter hurting against her eyes. “Hello,” she groaned bringing the phone to her ear.  
  
“Ellie, It’s Grey. I need you to come down to the station.”  
  
“Sir, it’s,” she paused pulling the phone away from her ear to see the time, “two a.m. Can it wait until later?”  
  
“No. I need you here now.”  
  
“Alright,” she said softly. “I’ll be there in twenty.” Ellie sighed dropping the phone on her chest. She had to be at work at ten and after dealing with her father’s attitude all day, she just wanted to get a good night’s sleep. Ellie sighed lift the covers and sliding out from under them.  
  
“Who was it,” Sean asked sleepily. His eyes still closed as he rested against the pillow.  
  
“Grey. He wants me to meet him at the station,” she said grabbing her jeans from where they were tossed on a chair and slipping them on.  
  
“Do you want me to drive you,” he asked sitting up and flipping on a lamp beside the bed. His hair sticking out in every direction.  
  
Ellie smiled at him. “No,” she said leaning back over the bed giving him a light kiss. “You need to get your beauty sleep before your shift,” she teased putting her hand against his chest. “God knows you need it more than me.”  
  
Sean laughed as she pushed him back down on the bed. He tried to grab her arm and pull her down with him, but she was too quick. “I’ll probably just go to dad’s afterward or maybe I’ll just sleep on a desk. I’m not too sure which.”  
  
“Be careful. Call me if you need anything.”  
  
“I always am,” she smiled at him as she grabbed her off duty weapon, badge and keys. Then she was out the door and headed towards the station.  
\--  
  
When she walked in the lobby of the station was empty except for Grey anxiously looking at his watch waiting for her. “Sorry. Traffic,” she said after walking in.  
  
“At 2 a.m.,” he asks with a grin on his face.  
  
Ellie shrugs and smiles back at him. “Where’s the fire?”  
  
“Follow me,” he says shortly before turning on his heels and heading deeper into the station. “I didn’t want to call you, but I had no other choice,” he said over his shoulder as he opened the door to booking open and held it open for her. “He wouldn’t let me call anyone else.”  
  
“He?”  
  
Grey motioned towards the holding cells. The drunk tank had a couple of guys slouched on the concrete benches as they tried to sleep their drunk haze away. In the cell closest to them, a single male sat on the floor. His head resting on his drawn-up knees.  
  
Ellie looked between Grey and the cell several times surprise evident on her face. “Ha,” she snorted her eyes steady now on the man in the cell. “Are you serious?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“The responding officers said he was involved in a bar fight. The other guy involved isn’t pressing charges, but they weren’t sure who to call so they brought him here and called me. Just take him home and make sure he’s here for shift later.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
He motioned for one of the late shift booking officers to unlock the cell door. The sound of the door unlocking caused him to look up at Ellie standing in the door. “About time,” he snapped.  
  
“I’ll go back home and go to sleep. You can finish your sleepover if you want.”  
  
Tim rolled his eyes as he pushed off the floor. He swayed standing to his feet. “How much did you drink,” she asked stepping closer to him. She slipped one arm around him as the smell of whiskey invaded her nostrils.  
  
“Enough,” he said quickly, his tone indicative that he wasn’t in the mood for her questions.  
  
“You did this to yourself. You don’t get to be mad at me,” she told him firmly as she helped him out of the station and towards her car.  
  
As soon as he sat down in the passenger seat, Tim leaned the seat all the way back and closed his eyes. Ellie shook her head climbing in the car herself and starting their journey home.  
\--  
She should have known that even though he was leaned back eyes closed as she drove them home, he would still gripe about her driving. “You turned to fast. Slow down. I swear you’re going to make me puke. Turn the music down. Good God, do I need to drive? You're worse than I remember,” he complained the whole ride home.  
  
She had heard it all before. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t driving terribly on purpose. If she had to get up at two a.m. to retrieve her drunk father from jail after a bar fight, then he was going to pay for it during the ride home.  
  
She had to stifle a laugh after she turned the last corner a little too sharply sending him sliding into the door. He sat up quickly after that glaring at her as she tried to keep a straight face pulling into the driveway.  
  
He threw the door open as soon as she put the car in park. He stumbled stepping out of the car, his hand landing on the hood to stabilize himself.  
  
Ellie jumped out when his hand landed slammed against the car. Once again, she wrapped an arm around him as she led him to the porch and into the house. He groans when she drops him on the bed. Ellie moved his long legs, so they were laying on the bed instead of hanging off.  
  
Ellie left him there for a minute while she went to the kitchen to grab him a bottle of water and some aleve for when he woke up because he was going to need it. She turned his alarm on before moving down the bed and untying his shoes, sitting them on the floor gently. “Sleep good,” she told him softly pushing off the bed.  
  
She was almost to the door when she heard him mumble. “Huh?”  
  
“I want to marry her,” he said quietly, his eyes still closed laying on his back.  
  
“Well, you didn’t have to get drunk to finally realize that.” Ellie shuts his bedroom door on her way out, going directly to her room on the other side of the house. Pulling her phone from her pocket, Ellie sat down on the bed. Quickly, she sent Sean a text letting him know that she was fine, and she would call him later. She didn’t bother changing before laying down. She just wanted to get a little more sleep before she had to get up. It was the day of her six-month exam and it already was off to a rocky start.  
\--  
  
“Hey, is everything okay,” Lucy asked walking up to Ellie, who was getting her and Tim’s equipment for the day.  
  
Ellie looked back to the woman catching a glimpse of her father standing in Grey’s office as he was chewed out by the sergeant. “Yeah,” she said focusing back on Lucy in front of her, “why wouldn’t it be?”  
  
“Both of you look pretty rough this morning. I just wanted to make sure.”  
  
Her eyes move to Tim as he storms out of Grey’s office towards the garage bay. “Yeah, we’re good. It was just a rough night,” she tried to play it cool as she slipped the bags over her shoulders and grabbing their shotguns. She gives Lucy a slight smile as she starts to walk past her but stops. “Answer a question for me…Are y’all serious? I mean serious, not just a good time for a while then it’s over.”  
  
She sees the look of confusion wash over Lucy’s face. “Yeah,” she says after a moment after trying to process Ellie’s question. “I am. We haven’t really talked about it, but it has come up.”  
  
Ellie just nodded before she continued her way towards the shop. After loading their equipment in the back of the car, she joined him in the front seat. He didn’t bother to look at her as she climbed in, his eyes closed as he rested against the window. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”  
  
“I’m fine,” he snapped, his eyes meeting hers sharply.  
  
Ellie muttered under her breath as she reached for the seatbelt to buckle in.  
  
“Do you want to say something?”  
  
“Nope.”  
  
“Good,” he said gruffly starting the car and backing the car out of the port. To the streets, they went.  
\--  
  
Ellie was walking down the back hallway, her phone pressed against her ear. “So, I know we had plans to go out tonight, but would it be okay if we changed it up a bit,” she asked quietly as other officers passed by.  
  
“Yeah, no big deal. What are we doing?”  
  
“Dad was talking about grill some steaks and said we should join him and Lucy at the house. Something about bonding or whatever. I said it was up to you.”  
  
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. Your dad loves me.”  
  
Ellie laughed into the phone. “Oh, he loves you? He barely likes me half the time.” Ellie peeked up towards the end of the short hallway to see Tim striding towards her. “I have to go. The warden is coming,” she said quickly.  
  
“The warden?”  
  
“Yeah, I have to go.”  
  
Before she could pull the phone away from her ear, his hand was snatching it out of her hand. “Who are you talking to,” he asked looking down at the caller ID on the phone. “Sean,” he said happily bringing the phone to his ear.  
  
“Mr. Bradford,” she heard Sean yell through the phone causing her to roll her eyes.  
  
Tim turned away from towards the window as they started delving deeper into conversation. “So anyway…tonight we’re having a little get together at the house, you should come.”  
  
“Definitely Mr. B, Ellie was just telling me about it. I wouldn’t miss it.”  
  
“Good, good. Alright, we’ll see ya in a couple of hours. Yeah…yeah, see ya,” he said finally after a minute into the phone. He turns back to Ellie behind him with a smile on his face, that quickly falls when he lands on her face of annoyance. “What?”  
  
Ellie snatched her phone from his hand. “Are you done stealing my boyfriend?”  
  
“Not my fault he likes me better.”  
  
Rolling her eyes, Ellie turned to walk away from him. “You two are the same person.”  
\--  
  
It was later in the evening; all four stomachs were overstuffed from the steak that Tim had grilled and the veggies that Lucy had steamed. The conversation over dinner was pleasant. It was good for them to get together and talk. They laughed until they could hardly breathe telling stories about the past.  
  
Sometime later, Tim and Sean were outside while Lucy and Ellie sat in the living room sipping on glasses of wine.  
  
“So,” Lucy started once they were settled on the couch, “Do you want to tell me what happened last night?”  
  
Ellie looked at Lucy over the brim of her glass. “Ha. No,” she said shaking her head. “That’s not something for me to share and you can’t psychoanalyze me to try and get me to spill either.”  
  
Lucy eyed her suspiciously. “Fine. I’ll find out sooner or later either from you or from him,” she said moving her eyes to Tim laughing with Sean on the back patio.  
  
“When mom left, I saw how much it hurt him. Each day was worse than the day before. He tried to act strong for me, but I could see how he was taking it. It broke him,” she finished softly. “Then when I left, I didn’t stop to think about how it would affect him. When I came back, I saw how he had stitched himself back together piece by piece. Being with you has been good for him. Thanks for taking care of him for me.”  
  
Lucy smiled meekly across from her. “No problem,” she said softly a soft pink blush creeping upon her cheeks.  
  
“Okay,” Ellie said sitting down her glass. “I’m tired of talking about her. Do you want to see all the embarrassing pictures from my childhood,” Ellie asked trying to change the subject.  
  
“Yes please,” Lucy cheered as Ellie pushed off the couch towards the entertainment center. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed when Ellie pulled out six large photo albums from the cabinet.  
  
Ellie struggled to carry the albums the short distance to the coffee table. “Do you want first Halloween or Easter ’09 first,” she asked sorting through the books looking up at Lucy with a grin.  
\--  
  
“Thanks for inviting me over Mr. Bradford,” Sean started as soon as the sliding glass door had shut behind them.  
  
“Tim. Just Tim,” he said with a slight grin looking at the younger man. “Thanks for coming actually. I know our jobs can be stressful so it’s good to relax every now and then.”  
  
“Couldn’t agree more,” Sean said raising his beer taking a sip. “There’s actually something I want to talk to you about,” he paused trying to gage in the look on Tim’s face. “It’s about Ellie.”  
  
Tim eyed the younger man suspiciously for a moment. “Go on,” he stated simply crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
“Well, sir,” he pushed out. “She is a hell of a woman,” Sean stopped suddenly losing his nerve.  
  
“And,” Tim said after a moment of silence passed over them. He could see the wheels turning quickly in the younger man’s head. His hand fidgeting by his side. His eyes bouncing all round Tim avoiding his glare.  
  
“I know that we’ve only been dating for four months, but,” Sean paused swallowing heavily, “I’ve fallen in love with her and I want your permission to ask her to marry me. Not saying it’s going to happen tomorrow, but when the time comes, having your permission would mean a lot.”  
  
Tim’s stare cut holes through Sean as he spaced out. Was she already old enough to leave him? Where had the time gone? It felt like just last week, he was bringing her home from the hospital. She was supposed to be his little girl forever or until she was thirty at least. Blinking, he brought himself back to the present. He noticed the timid look at Sean’s face and grinned slightly looking away. “You had me scared for a second,” he played. “When the time comes, you have my blessing,” he said looking back at Sean before him. “Just don’t break her heart or…”  
  
“Or?”  
  
“You don’t want to know.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
Looking towards the house, Tim caught a glimpse of Ellie and Lucy shuffling through the pages of one of the photo albums. “Good lord, she brought she albums out already,” he complained starting towards the door. “Don’t believe a single thing she says,” he called pulling the door open and stepping in, Sean right behind him.


	11. Did you even think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Thanks for reading!! Let me know what you think!! Ellie is always finding herself in trouble. 
> 
> Join me on Tumblr! @TheRookieBook!!

Ellie was walking to morning roll call. Even after Tim made her wash the shop three times until it was sparkling under the California sun and fill the car with gas for the day, she still had managed to get done early. The first thing she noticed was that the room was already full of other officers with their eyes locked on her when she walked in. Ellie continued until she saw Grey sitting in her usual spot beside her father sitting at the front table a smug look on his face.  
  
“Thanks for joining us Officer Bradford,” Grey addressed her. Ellie looked around the room to see the amused looks on the other officer’s face.  
  
Ellie looked down at her watch on her wrist briefly. “I’m five minutes early. There’s no way I’m late.”  
  
“You were late the second that I walked through that door and you weren’t here,” he said coolly.  
  
Ellie nodded noticing the smirk on Tim’s face beside the sergeant. “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”  
  
“Good,” Grey said shortly, his eyes locked on her. “Go on,” he said pointing to the podium after she stood there for a moment awkwardly.  
  
Ellie’s brows scrunched together as she tilted her head slightly looking at him. “You want me to…,” she trailed off pointing to the podium behind her.  
  
“Did I stutter Officer Bradford?”  
  
“No, Sir. I’ll just,” her voice trailed again as she turned towards the platform. Ellie smiled nervously at the room full of officers before her. “Ughh,” she stuttered unsure of what Grey wanted her to say. Her hands tapped nervously on the side of the wooden podium as she continued to sweep the room of officers all with slight grins on their faces.  
  
“The memo Officer Bradford,” Grey called leaning back in the seat.  
  
“Right,” Ellie said looking down at the sheet of paper in front of her. Her eyes quickly scanned the passage. “From the Chief. Uhh…Sergeant Grey, Officer Ellie Bradford has successfully completed and passed her six-month exam,” she read shortly, looking up at him with a grin.  
  
The room of officers erupted in applause and cheers. A few ‘way to goes’ came from the back. Ellie felt the heat in her cheek rise up before Grey raised his hand effectively quieting the room instantly. “What happens next,” Grey asked crossing his arms across this chest.  
  
“Stage two.”  
  
“Exactly,” he said pushing his chair back and standing to his feet. “What does that mean?”  
  
“No idea sir.”  
  
“It means that you’re halfway through your training. Another six months and you will no longer be a rookie. Also, means you will start taking the lead on most calls and your TO will evaluate you weekly instead of daily. Plus, depending on your TO’s approval, short sleeves.”  
  
Ellie felt her grin widen until her eyes landed on Tim’s slight scowl. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening Sarg,” she quipped causing the room to laugh again.  
  
Grey even laughed as he stepped up on the platform with her. “I wrote these two numbers on the board. Will you tell me why?”  
  
“Test scores?”  
  
“Exactly. Now, tell me which one is yours.”  
  
Ellie turned to face the board behind her. A ninety-three was on the left side of the board and ninety-six was on the right side. “Well, they are both passing. Well above your eighty percent standard. Does it really matter?”  
  
“Trust me,” he said with a smile looking back at Tim, “You will want to know the answer. Think about it and give me an answer at the end of the shift.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“Alright people,” he called turning to face the room. “Stay safe out there and have a good day.”  
  
Ellie turned to see Tim still sitting on the front row. “You know,” she asked stepping off the platform towards him.  
  
“Of course, I know. That doesn’t mean I’m telling you the answer.”  
  
Ellie shook her head looking away from him. He always loved to play these games even though it irked her every time. “So about…,” she started.  
  
“Don’t even ask,” he said shortly pushing his chair back and standing.  
  
“Oh, come on. I passed with a very good score,” she pleaded gesturing to the board behind her.  
  
“As your training officer, I have full control over your duty uniform. So, if I say long sleeves, then you will wear long sleeves and tie until I say so. If you keep asking, I will require a duty cap to go along with your standard uniform. Are we clear boot?”  
  
Ellie looked at him for a second trying to gauge if there was a playful tone to his voice. “Yes sir,” she said after a moment. “Fine,” she huffed turning away from him to get their equipment, rolling her eyes.  
  
“Don’t roll your eyes either,” he called after her as she walked out of the room.  
\--  
  
“Stop pouting,” he said shortly looking over at Ellie beside him as she stared out the window watching people as they passed by.  
  
“I’m not pouting,” she huffed readjusting, so she was sitting forward-facing in the car.  
  
“Then what do you call it,” he asked. Ellie remained silent beside him. “Mhmm. That’s what I thought.”  
  
Ellie looked over at him. “Can you just drop it? Just because you want to be an ass doesn’t mean that we have to talk about it all damn day.”  
  
“Oh, I’m an ass,” he asked with a grin on his face looking back over at her.  
  
“I could call you something worse if you’d like.”  
  
He opened his mouth like he was about to reply when the radio interrupted him. “7-Adam-19, Reports of a 211 at Eddie’s Quik Stop. Code 3,” the woman’s voice said calmly through the radio.  
  
“7-Adam-19 responding,” Ellie said quickly grabbing the microphone and hitting the lights and sirens as Tim pressed the down on the gas pedal.  
\--  
  
It only took them minutes to get to the gas station. They could see the gunman through the front windows as they pulled in. His gun aimed at the frightened cashier. Ellie saw the panic settle on his face when his eyes locked on their patrol car.  
  
“What’s the plan,” she asks Tim as they open their doors and aim towards the store with their guns.  
  
“Post up here and wait for backup to arrive,” he replied shortly, his eyes never leaving the scene in front of him.  
  
Ellie’s eyes shifted from the window to the glass door. “Dad,” she said softly her gaze fixed on two little kids pressed together as their mother shielded them from the gunman. She could see the tears streaming down their little faces.  
  
“Damn it,” he muttered reaching for his walkie once he saw what she was.  
  
Ellie considered the different possibilities of how this would turn out. She considered both the good and the bad. These two little kids didn’t deserve to be put in a situation like this. Their mother trying to shield them from the danger. Before she could stop herself from moving, Ellie was moving towards the store. She could hear Tim yelling at her as she got closer and closer to the store, but it sounded a lot farther away than it actually was. She looked at him over her shoulder quickly before she pushed the door open and slipped inside.  
  
“Ellie! Ellie! No! Get back here,” he tried before she went inside. “Damn it,” he shouted slapping the shop.  
  
The bell jingling on the door caused the guy to whip towards her. His eyes met hers instantly as he now aimed at her. “Woah,” she said raising her hand. “Let these kids and their mother go, and I’ll put my gun away. One LAPD cop will give you more leverage than they will.”  
  
Ellie opened the door and ushered the mother and children out of the shop. Her eyes staying on them until they reached her father. “Okay. I’m going to put my gun away now,” she said gently lowering her right hand and putting the gun back in her holster.  
  
She takes a good look at the guy as she started to step closer. He’s around her age. Deep black circles around his eyes. He’s probably coming off a high. His face is pale and covered in scars. She could see the track marks that ran up the inside of his arm. “You’re an addict? What is it? Heroin?”  
  
The guy’s aim wobbled as he jabs the gun at her. “I’m not an addict,” he cried loudly.  
  
“Of course. Sorry. Can you tell me why you’re doing this then? There has to be a reason. One doesn’t just hold up a store for no reason.”  
  
“I don’t know. I don’t…I just need more. I ran out and need money for more.”  
  
Ellie takes another couple of steps closer to him. She could almost reach him to disarm him, but she didn’t want to risk him shooting her before she could. “Sit the gun down and let me help you. I can get you the help you need.”  
  
“No, you can’t. I don’t need help. I just need the money,” he yelled aiming back to the frightened cashier still behind the counter.  
  
“My mother,” Ellie started inching closer to the guy, “she was an addict. I couldn’t help her, but I can help you. Just put the gun down and let me help you,” she pleaded.  
She saw the hesitation in his face as he looked back and forth between Ellie and the cashier. Using it to her advantage, Ellie lunged forward tackling the guy to the ground causing the gun to fall from his hand. Quickly, she flipped him over effortlessly and cuffed him. She reached for his gun and tucked it in her waistband before grabbing her radio. “7-Adam-19 B to A, we’re clear. Code 4,” she said into the walkie quickly.  
  
“Let’s go,” she said grabbing the guy’s arm and pulling him to his feet. Walking outside, she passed him off to another officer along with the gun from her waistband. She sees the kids now smiling and laughing as they talked to a couple of officers giving them badge stickers and stuffed animals as their mother gave other officers her statement. The cashier was also with officers on the other side of the parking lot giving his account of what happened.  
  
She smiled proudly at the scene before her until her eyes landed on Tim marching towards her. His anger was evident on his face. “Are you proud of yourself,” he snarled upon reaching her.  
  
“Yeah,” she said shortly meeting his glare.  
  
“Did you even think before you barged in there,” he yelled causing other officers to look at them.  
  
Ellie shook her head in annoyance looking away from him. “I couldn’t let something happen to those kids.”  
  
“You could have gotten yourself shot again, then would have helped you? Who would have helped those kids?”  
  
“Why can’t you just be happy that this didn’t end with someone in a body bag,” she snapped back at him.  
  
Tim glared at her for a long minute. His narrow eyes meeting hers. “You were reckless. You disobeyed a direct order and put yourself and everyone else in danger. How do you not see that? Are you trying to prove that you shouldn’t wear long sleeves, because if so you just messed that up,” he said loudly.  
  
Ellie felt her own anger start to rise. She looked around them to see many other officers already stopped what they were doing to watch the duo in the middle of the parking lot. Looking around him, she saw Lopez, Lucy, West, and Harper watching them. “I did what I had to do to save those kids,” she seethed. “When you can tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing, then you can be mad.”  
  
“There’s a protocol for a reason!”  
  
“How many times have you broken protocol? This had nothing to do with sleeves. I could care less whether your dictatorship made me wear fucking long sleeves until the last day of training! I saved those kids because it’s my job. It had nothing to do with you and nothing to do with sleeves,” she bit harshly. “I’ll find my own ride back to the station,” she said brushing past him.  
  
Tim turned and watched her as she strode away from him. She didn’t even talk to the other as they tried to get her to talk to them. He wanted to wring her neck. He just shook his head in anger as he watched her.  
\--  
  
After shift, Ellie was walking down the back hallway to leave the station. She was beyond ready to go home. After the whole store situation, things were beyond tense between the two. When they went back on patrol, they didn’t say a word to each other unless it was absolutely necessary even then it was short.  
  
A knock from the glass of the conference room caused Ellie to look up. The first thing she saw Angela’s unamused look staring back at her. Then she noticed her father and Harper lingering behind her.  
  
Ellie huffed walking down the hallway. “What,” she asked stepping inside the conference room.  
  
“We’re going to talk about what happened today,” Lopez said shortly, her glare never leaving Ellie. “Sit down,” she commanded.  
  
“I don’t have time for this,” Ellie said shaking her head as she started to turn around and leave the room.  
  
Angela’s hands smacked against the table stopped Ellie in her tracks. “Sit down,” she demanded loudly.  
  
Ellie looked up slightly taking a deep breath before turning back to the group of training officers in the room. Giving up, Ellie walked to the middle of the room and pulled a chair out sitting down. “There. Happy now?”  
  
“Do you realize how reckless you were today,” Angela asked angrily walking quickly across the room towards where Ellie sat. “You could have gotten yourself and those hostages killed.”  
  
“I think you all got the point across. Can I go now?”  
  
Harper stepped forward quickly joining Lopez in front of Ellie. “You’re a rookie. You’re not a superhero. You’re supposed to listen to your training officer whether that be your father or one of us. Not run into a hostage situation with no backup.”  
  
Ellie looked up at the two women above her. “Well what would you have done,” she asked, her eyes flickering between them. “We didn’t know if that guy was going to start shooting or not. He was a scared kid with a loaded handgun.”  
  
“Do you realize how frightening it is to us to think that you’re comfortable with a loaded gun being aimed at you,” Lopez asked. “Don’t you dare say it’s a part of the job either,” she added just as Ellie started to open her mouth.  
  
“Also, disobeying a direct order? Do you realize that as a probational employee you could be terminated without a second thought? You might be in good here with Grey and us, but you shouldn’t rely on that,” Harper added.  
  
Ellie stayed quiet in her chair; her arms crossed as she looked passed them at Tim as they questioned her.  
  
Slowly, he stepped forward joining the other training officers. “I asked them to talk to you because I know you wouldn’t want to listen to me. So please,” he paused for a moment, “listen to them before you wind up getting yourself killed.”  
  
Ellie eyed him once again. She just wanted to go home or better yet to Sean’s, she just wanted to sleep and put all this behind her. She knew that they would probably cuff her to the chair if she tried to leave before they were ready for her to, especially Angela. “Fine,” she sighed leaning back in the chair looking up at the group in front of her. She was in for a long, long night.


	12. Not Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doing all the right things doesn't always mean that it will always turn out the way you hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye!! Thanks for reading!! It's hard for me to believe that we're almost finished with this story! I teared up a little writing this chapter, not going to lie. 2 MORE CHAPTERS TO GO!! Don't hate me. Can Ellie catch a break? 
> 
> As always thank you for reading and sticking with me through this so far! Two more action-packed chapters to close it out! Gah, I can't wait to write the last chapter!  
> Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook!

Two months had passed since the incident. Ellie was doing better listening and learning like she was supposed to. Each passing day, she could tell that he was starting to trust her a little more. She wasn’t half-cocked and acting without thinking anymore. She would follow his direction to the letter.

She still had four months to go. Roughly seventeen weeks. One hundred and nineteen days until her training was officially over and it scared the hell out of her. She knew he would train her the best he could, but there are some things you can’t teach.

It was late in the evening. A couple of hours since they had lunch but still hours to go before could they called it a day. Ellie’s stomach rumbled causing Tim to look over at her. “Did you not eat at lunch,” he asked looking back to the street as he drove.

“A little. I wasn’t feeling too hungry at the time and it didn’t help that we had to bail out early either. Plus, I think Melinda is working at the Quik Trip today. We could stop by. It’s good community policing. That is what Grey told us to focus on this morning,” she said looking over at him. She saw him roll his eyes before nodding his head. Ellie grinned happily as he pulled into the parking lot. “Do you want anything,” she asked pushing the door open looking back at him.

“Just get me a coffee.”

“A coffee? You’re going to be up all-night old man,” she teased earning an unamused look from beside her. “Alright just a coffee,” she said quietly sliding out of the car and heading into the store. “Aye Melinda,” Ellie called stepping inside and seeing the older woman behind the counter.

“Officer Bradford,” the woman replied as Ellie walked deeper into the store over to the coffee station. “How are you doing today sweetheart?”

“Good. Nothing too crazy has happened, yet,” she said as she filled up a medium-size cup with coffee. She grabbed herself a Gatorade from the coolers and a small bag of white cheddar cheez-its. After a short debate within herself, Ellie also grabbed Tim a small can of peanuts because she knew he would ultimately gripe at her not getting him something to snack on.

“How are you,” Ellie asked sitting their items down on the counter. Ellie at the woman on the other side of the counter. She was older than Tim. Probably mid-fifties. Her red hair curled at the top of her hair. Freckles peppered her face bringing out her hazel green eyes.

“I’m good sweetie. Just another day,” Melinda said with a smile as she started to ring up Ellie’s items.

The bell jingling caused Ellie to turn her head to see two males walking in the door. Something Tim had taught when she was little was to see every person that was in the room. Maybe it was her cop sense or maybe it was because of everything she’s seen; she could feel the mood in the shop shift quickly. “Alright $12.84,” Melinda said after scanning everything.

Ellie reached behind her for her money clip when she felt the barrel of the gun press against the back of her head. Ellie closed her eyes as Melinda started to scream. “Shut up bitch,” one of the men yelled from behind them. Slowly, Ellie raised her hands. God, why does this always have to happen to me?

She felt a hand reach to her duty belt and clip her gun before pulling it from the holster on her side. “Move,” the one behind her demanded pushing Ellie away from the counter.

Stumbling, Ellie caught herself on the deli case. Her eyes locked immediately on Melinda behind the counter. She could see Tim through the window, just sitting there unknowing what’s happening inside. She just needs to give him a signal. The one has one gun pointed at Melinda and Ellie’s own gun pointed at her. Ellie catches Melinda's eyes as she looks around frantically. She looked up and down at the counter several times trying to relay the message.

She knows there’s a silent alarm under the counter. She had talked to Melinda about it several times just for situations like this. “7-Adam-19, silent alarm activated at the Quik Trip on West 4th Street,” the dispatcher’s voice crackled through her radio right on cue.

Ellie could still see Tim sitting in the car. This time his eyes were fixed on the store. He opened the car door to step out when the jumpier of the two men started firing rounds out the window. Ellie held her breath as she watched him duck and run towards the back of their SUV. “7-Adam-19, shots fired! We need back up and swat at our location! Be advised an officer is being held inside,” he half yelled into his walkie. Ellie saw him peek back out from behind the vehicle before ducking again as the man started to shoot again.

“What did you do,” he yelled turning back to Melinda aiming his gun at her too.

“The alarm doesn’t matter,” Ellie stated causing both men to look at her. She wanted to keep their attention off Melinda and on her. “That officer would have come looking before too much longer and you’d still be in the same situation. It won’t be long now until this place is swarmed with cops.”

“Shut up,” the jumpier one yelled walking closer to Ellie.

“I’m just trying to tell you the truth,” she said coolly standing her ground. “Either way you’re in the same situation.”

The nervous one of the two started to pace. His hands cupping his hand. His gun aimed upwards. The other was cool as a cucumber as his aim was steady on Ellie and Melinda. He had done this before, probably many times.

“Calm down Mike,” he said calmly looking over at the frantic man.

“We’re going to prison Jimmy,” he said shortly. “You said it would be quick, in and out. We’d get the cash and be gone before the cops could get here. But now we have cops outside and hostages. I don’t want to go to prison.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to rob a store with a cop car sitting out front,” Ellie deadpanned causing both men to look at her.

Jimmy smiled as he stepped towards her. “Oh, you think you’re funny?”

Ellie should have seen the butt of the gun coming but she couldn’t move before it hit the side of her head sending her crashing through the deli case beside her. Glass cut through her long sleeve as she tried to brace for impact. “Apparently you don’t think so,” she retorted after she landed on the floor amid the pile of glass.

Ellie pushed herself up wincing at the pain in her arm as she pushed off the floor back to her feet. Lifting her arm, she saw pieces of glass sticking out of her skin as blood started to ooze from the cuts. “It’s was brought to my attention recently, well about two months ago actually, that I’m oddly comfortable standing in front of a gun. I guess you could say it was the ‘ _if it happens, it happens_ ’ attitude that was installed in me when I was little. I’m not saying it’s not scary. It’s petrifying, but I’m not afraid of dying. I came to peace with that when I signed up for this job. I’m just trying to get home to my dad, my future stepmom, and my boyfriend.”

“Do you ever shut up,” Jimmy asked annoyed-looking over at her.

“No. Not really. My dad is the quiet one, not me.”

“You should learn how to keep your mouth shut,” he said shortly.

“Yeah probably. Maybe I’ll work on that after I get out of here.” Ellie was trying once again to keep his attention focused on her instead of Melinda. “You know,” she said sliding forward when Jimmy turned back towards Melinda, “this only ends one of two ways. Either with body bags or cuff and I don’t feel like dying today.”

“What did I say about keeping your mouth shut,” Jimmy yelled looking back at Ellie, his gun level with her chest.

The man turned back towards Melinda and was met with a barrel of a shotgun aimed at him. She fired quickly striking him in the chest. His finger twitched against the trigger as he started to fall to the ground.

Ellie landed on her back. Her chest was on fire as she fought for breath. Her eyes slowly closed as the sound slowly faded away.

“Jimmy,” Mike yelled as the lifeless body fell to the floor. “No no no,” he said quickly. “What did you go,” he yelled at Melinda. She was just about to aim at him when he fired a round hitting her causing her to fall. “Oh god. The cop is dead. Oh god, oh no,” he said as he started to pace again.

The sound of gunfire quickly brought Ellie back. She opened her eyes looking at the ceiling. Her vest had caught the bullet, doing its job thankfully even at a close range. She looked up just in time to see Mike’s smoking gun aiming at where Melinda would be.

Ellie sat up quickly, her chest aching as Mike started to pace. Rolling up her pants leg, Ellie pulled her back up from the holster on her ankle. “Hey,” she yelled causing Mike to turn towards her panic clear on his face. Ellie fired one round, hitting him square in the chest just as they had taught her in the academy.

Scrambling and slipping on the blood and glass around her, Ellie rushed around the corner to Melinda. “I need medics in here now! Two dead, one critical. I need help now,” she yelled into her radio before dropping it to care for Melinda. She dropped to her knees, pressing hard against Melinda’s wound.

“You’re going to be okay,” she tried to encourage the older woman as blood continued to seep from under Ellie’s hands. “They’re coming. Just stay with me. Stay with me,” she pleaded pressing firmly against the wound as Melinda started to gasp for air.

_Officer Bradford_

_Bradford_

“Ellie,” an EMT screamed finally causing Ellie to look up. “We got it. Let us take over,” he said dropping his bag beside her.

Ellie nodded easing herself away from Melinda, who was unconscious on the floor, as the medics started to do their jobs. Ellie sat on the floor watching them as her adrenaline slowly started to fade. Her own pain from her arm and chest hitting her all at once.

“Officer Bradford,” a man said calmly standing above her. She knew him from the station. They had talked to each other in passing, but she didn’t even know his name. “I’m Officer Williamson. We’re going to get you cleaned up,” he said softly extending his hand for her to take. Gently he pulled Ellie to her feet. He smiled as she steadied herself as she swayed.

Slowly, he started to lead her out of the store. Through the pile of glass from the broken deli case towards the door. Ellie looked down at the bodies of the two men as they stepped over them.

The bright sun hurt her eyes when they finally stepped outside. The smell of fresh air invaded her senses as they walked across the parking lot towards the ambulances.

Ellie pushed him away stopping abruptly in the middle of the parking lot. Frantically, she reached up to undo her tie from around her neck. It felt like it was slowly starting to choke her with each step. Her bloody fingers slipped against the plastic buttons as she tried to undo them.

Two hands moved hers out of the way. They removed her tie and quickly slipped the buttons through their holes. Ellie never looked up as she stared at the gold bullet lodged in the vest as it glistened from the sun’s light. “Do you want it off?”

Ellie nodded at her father’s voice above her not bothering to look up at him. “Okay,” he said softly. A tone that surprised even her. She didn’t know he could talk so gently. He finished undoing the button of her uniform shirt and slid the right arm off. Gently, he lifted her left arm to look at the glass shards sticking out of her skin. “Should probably wait until this glass is out to take it rest of the way off.”

Ellie shook her head. “No. I need it off.”

“Okay. Okay,” he said after a moment of looking at her. He reached in his pocket for his knife and flipped it open. Gently he raised the sleeve from the underside of her arm and cut it from her arm. He caught the shirt as it fell from her body.

Ellie undid the Velcro of her vest reaching around with her good arm. Slowly, Tim pulled it over her head careful not to hit her arm. He held it in his hand along with her shirt. He looked down at her, his stomach still churning. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He held her against him for a minute until he had to pull away.

“I need to go,” she said still not looking up at him.

He nodded as she walked past him. She didn’t say anything as Williamson followed close behind her.

Tim turned to watch her climb in the back of the ambulance. It wasn’t something he enjoyed seeing. He stood there for a second longer clutching her vest and tatter shirt in his hand. He sighed looking over at Angela and Lucy as they also watched Ellie. “She’s alright,” he said walking over to them. “Just a couple gashes from some glass, but the vest did its job,” he said sitting her vest on the hood for them to see the bullet stuck in it.

\--

Ellie looked up in the ambulance to see Sean gathering supplies until his eyes landed on her standing on the ground. Williamson helped her climb into the ambulance, and she sat down silently.

Sean walked over to her and knelt in front of her. Gently he grabbed her arm looking at the glass sticking out of her skin. His eyes flickered up to her face, but he was only met with a faraway gaze as she stared at the other side of the ambulance. “Ellie,” he sighed looking back at her arm. He reached over for pair of tweezers. “This is going to hurt a little bit,” he warned before he started trying to gently remove the glass from her arm as quickly as possible. He moved her other hand to his shoulder causing her to finally look down at him. “Squeeze when it starts to hurt too much.”

Ellie squeezed hard on his shoulder when he started to pour alcohol on her arm. “Good. Good,” said grabbing a towel and starting to clean the excess blood and alcohol from her wounds. Using a cotton swab, he applied ointment to her cuts before pressing gauze against them and wrapping her arm. “It’s getting old having to patch you up Ells,” he said quietly.

“Then get your partner,” she said sharply her blue eyes meeting his hazel ones.

Sean sighed shaking his head. “That’s not what meant Ellie. Every call we get about an injured cop, I immediately wonder if I’m going to roll up on your dead body.”

“Not like I go looking for it. It just seems to find me. Call it the Bradford curse.”

“I just want you to be safe.”

“I just wanted a snack. I didn’t ask them to come in there and do this. This job is dangerous, and it has its risks. If you can’t accept that then maybe, we shouldn’t take this any further,” she said firmly never breaking eyes contact with him.

Once again, he shakes his head. “That’s not what I’m saying. I know that your job is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean that you have to in the middle of the action all the time. I don’t want to put you in the ground before I have a chance to change your last name. Just please, think about everything we have and everything we could have before you put yourself in danger,” he said putting his hands on her knees.

“Every time I walk out the door, there’s a chance I won’t walk back through it. I don’t go looking for it. When I clock in, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to come back to you. I don’t want to miss whatever this is, but I can’t control what happens,” she finishes softly looking away from him. Her eyes first landed on Williamson as he stood waiting for her at the back of the ambulance. Then she shifted to Tim and Lucy as they talked, his eyes occasionally looking towards the ambulance. “I can’t promise that I’ll be able to come home to you every day. I can’t promise that this is going to be easy, because I’ve seen how this job can drive people apart, but it can also bring them together. I’ll try to be more careful, but I can’t promise that this will be the last time this happens.”

“Thank you,” he said smiling up at her. “That’s all I ask.”

Ellie grinned slightly looking down at him. “Officer Bradford,” Williamson called causing Ellie to look away from Sean and towards him. “Sergeant Grey is calling you back to the station.”

“Alright,” Ellie said standing to her feet. Sean’s hands landed on her hips as she swayed.

“Did you hit your head,” he asked looking at her concerned noticing the dried blood on the side of her face for the first time.

“Well actually someone hit me, but I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”

Sean brought her against him quickly. “I love you,” he said softly against her ear.

“Love you too,” she said easing away from him.

Sean hopped out of the ambulance first to help her down. “I’ll see you later Officer Bradford,” he said with a smile.

Ellie shook her head walking away from him following Williamson. He put her in the passenger seat of his shop before shutting the door. He strode around to the driver's side climbing in. ‘What a terrible mustache’ was all the could think as he put the car in drive taking her back to the station.

\--

Ellie was laying on the couch in Grey’s office as he sat on the other side of the desk doing his paperwork. When she had arrived back at the station, she was escorted by Williamson straight to his office. She had given her statement at least six times to different people, each time with Grey sitting there listening. He told her that they were ruling the shooting was justified based on the evidence and her body camera.

He held her as she cried when he told her that Melinda didn’t make it. She died before they even left the parking lot for the hospital. She cried over Melinda for a while until she fell asleep in Grey’s arms. He laid her down gently one the leather couch before going back to his desk to finish his paperwork.

When she woke up, she was silent. She blamed herself. If she hadn’t asked Tim to go to the gas station, who can say that Melinda still would still be alive and those two men would still be alive and free. They would have been responding to a robbery, not a homicide. She sat up holding her head in her hands remembering all the fond memories she had with the woman until there was a knock on the door.

Grey looked up and motioned for the person to step inside. Ellie looked at the door as Tim and Angela stepped inside. Grey’s eyes moved over to Ellie for a moment before looking back at the pair. Grey just shook his head looking down. “Oh god,” Lopez gasped covering her mouth. Tim’s jaw clenched as he closed his eyes

Lopez was the first to move. She walked over to Ellie and sat down beside her. She wrapped her arms around her holding her close as Ellie tried to hold her tears back again. “It’s not your fault,” Lopez whispered against her hair over and over.

It took longer for Tim to move over to the couch. He sat beside Ellie and Angela watching her while Lopez held her. After a while, Lopez relinquished her hold around Ellie. He swallowed heavily seeing the devastated look on her face, her eyes filled to the brim with tears when she looked at him. “Come here,” he said softly pulling her into him and holding her there as she started to sob all over again.

She had the next two days off, but Grey told her she could take more time if she needed it. Ellie nodded too afraid to trust her voice. Tim had her tucked up against him as the trio left the station, heading deeper into the dreary night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on Tumblr...Officer Williamson is based on Officer No Name or Officer Mustache


	13. Till the End of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I appreciate all the support for this story!! 
> 
> Join me on Tumblr @TheRookieBook

It was a big day for both of them. It was Ellie’s official last day of training and it was the celebration of Tim’s long career as a training officer. How fitting was it that his last rookie was his daughter before he took a promotion to become a sergeant.  
  
Rumors were floating around the station that there was about to be an opening at Mid-Wilshire and that Tim was at the top of the list for the job.  
  
Ellie made a deal with Smitty for there to be a little cake waiting for Tim in the roll call room when he got there.  
  
“Good morning,” Grey said cheerfully walking into the room. Sitting his files down on the podium, he looked up at the group of officers gathered. He gave them a few updates on cases that they had helped solve and give others their assignments for the day before his eyes landed on Ellie sitting on the front row. “Officer Bradford, stand up,” he commanded causing Ellie and Tim to look at each other. “Both of you, up. Come on,” he said motioning with his hand for them to walk to the front of the room.  
“For the past ten months you two have been riding together,” he said after they joined him at the front of the room. “Learning from and teaching each other along the way. In that time, you two successfully apprehended thirty-eight felons from the street,” he said causing Tim to grin proudly as the room behind them applauded. “That’s almost a record for the department, especially during such a short amount of time.”  
  
“Just doing our jobs sir,” Tim said shortly earning a look for the sergeant.  
  
“There is one record you did set though. Don’t look so proud, Ellie,” he scolded her slightly seeing the grin on her face. “How many times were you injured while on duty?”  
  
“Does that include trips to the hospital, ambulance visits, and non-medical injuries?”  
  
“All of it,” he said shortly. “Why is that even a question,” he asked causing the room laugh behind them.  
  
Ellie looks down as she starts to think. Unfortunately, it took her a couple of minutes to think of all the times something had happened all the way back to her first day. Her first day, she had gotten her lip busted during an arrest with Dosson. Then she was shot, two months in. Her busting her knuckles on her first day back, which resulted in her meeting Sean. The fight with Tim for “training purposes”. There was another scuffle or two with suspects. The glass in her arm roughly four months ago. The most recently she had tripped while chasing a suspect which resulted in a busted nose, it was actually quite comical. “Roughly seven times sir. Give or take a few.”  
  
“Nine,” Tim interjected looking over at her.  
  
“Well I kind of lost count,” she retorted looking over at him.  
  
“Too many,” Grey breaks between them looking over the two. “Keep yourself unharmed and safe today and during the rest of your career with the LAPD.”  
  
Ellie nodded. “Yes, sir.”  
  
“Good. Alright, people. Have a good day out there, stay safe,” he said looking at the room behind them.  
  
Ellie walks between the two men to go get their equipment for the day as they started to talk. “So, what are your plans for tonight,” Lucy asks walking up beside Ellie.  
  
“Bed,” Ellie says quickly causing Lucy to laugh.  
  
“Bed? Seriously? You don’t have plans with Sean?”  
  
Ellie shook her head as they walked up to the equipment hold. “Nope,” she said grabbing the pens and starting to sign their stuff out. “He has work night and tomorrow, so we’re waiting for the weekend to do something.”  
  
“At the end of my rookie year, Nolan, West, and I had a little celebration at his house. Maybe we could something like that tonight.”  
  
Ellie looked at Lucy beside her. “I know exactly how you celebrated that night. I was on the other side of the house and I still heard everything. I had nightmares for two weeks,” she played. Lucy smiled embarrassedly beside her. “Plus, you have your own wedding to plan, no need to waste your precious time on this.”  
  
“We just got engaged last month. We’re waiting a while until we set a date, so I have plenty of time to plan something for you,” Lucy grinned causing Ellie to shake her head.  
  
“I don’t want to a celebration,” Ellie said grabbing the bags and slipping them over her shoulders. She grabbed the shotguns giving the man inside a smile. “I just want my bed,” she told Lucy just as she turned right into Tim behind her. “Well hello to you too.”  
  
Tim lifted one of the bags from her shoulder and slipped the strap over his own. He took one of the shotguns from her too. Ellie just looked at him confusion plastered on her face. “What?”  
  
“You’ve never done that before.”  
  
“Consider it your gift,” he said turning away from them and heading towards the garage. “You’re driving,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.  
  
Ellie looked over at a smiling Lucy beside her. “Did he do this on your last day too?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
Ellie hummed before walking away. She loaded her part of the equipment in the back of the SUV. Tim was already sitting in the passenger seat waiting for her. She eyed him carefully when she climbed in. “What?”  
  
“Nothing,” she said looking away from him and starting the car. The garage door opened, and she drove them out of the station to the streets.  
  
They had a good shift. The mood was weirdly light in the car. Tim was very talkative, which caused Ellie to ask if he was okay several times. They conducted a few traffic stops, letting them go with just warnings. A few arrests were made, and Tim even chased after a suspect. “Good enough for an old man huh,” he asked putting the man in the back of the car alluding to the message she had written across the top of his cake that morning.  
  
Even after a good day, he still made her do most of the paperwork. He sat there beside her complaining about how long she was taking and asking if they would ever get to leave for the night. “If you would help and stop complaining, then this would go a lot faster,” she snapped looking up from the forms she was filling out.  
  
“I’m just enjoying this time that I get to annoy you while you’re still my rookie,” he said with a smile leaning back in his chair.  
  
Ellie rolled her eyes continuing her paperwork. After what seemed like hours of him complaining and pestering her, she was finally done with everything. He looked over it quickly, approving it. “Thank God,” she huffed rolling her chair away from the desk. They were the last ones from their shift in the station, even Grey had long left when the night shift filtered into the station.  
  
Quickly, she walked to the locker room to change. Ellie had a reservation with her bed that she would hate to miss. When she walked out with her backpack slung over her shoulder, he was already waiting for her. He had convinced her to ride with him to the station that morning, something about bonding or whatever.  
  
When they pulled up to the house, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Her car was parked in the driveway. The front porch light was on like they left it like they always did before they left for work. He walked behind her as they headed towards the door. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Her hand reached for off duty weapon when the lights flipped on and people jumped out from their various hiding spots, yelling “surprise”.  
  
The living room was decorated with blue and white balloons. A large banner hung over the entrance of the kitchen that read ‘Congrats Ellie!’ in big letters. A slideshow of the embarrassing pictures from her childhood and during the past year started on the screen of the TV.  
  
Ellie’s eyes scanned over all the people in their living room. Lucy, John, and Jackson had party blowouts in their mouths standing beside Grace and Sterling. Grey was there with his wife. Lopez and Wesley stood by the fireplace. Harper stood beside Lucy. Dosson stood by Williamson. Ellie’s eyes finally landed on Sean standing in the middle of the room his arms wide.  
  
Tim laughed as she froze in the doorway. “You all just about got shot,” she said playfully stepping deeper in the house causing the gathered group to laugh. “I thought you had to work,” she said walking over to Sean wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
Sean smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Oh, did I say that? Hmm must have slipped my mind,” he said leaning down to kiss her. Ellie smiled into the kiss. “Congratulations,” he said breaking away from her.  
  
“Thanks,” she said softly laying her head on his chest.  
  
“Alright break it up,” Tim called after a minute. Ellie eased out of his arms turning to look back at him. “Who wants a drink?”  
  
“I need a couple after dealing with you all day,” she teased causing the rest of the room to laugh.  
  
“I’m hurt.”  
  
Ellie spent a little time walking around thanking everyone for coming. Lucy and Sean had been planning this little celebration for two weeks. They had to swear everyone to secrecy so Ellie wouldn’t find out.  
  
After a while, a beer or two down, Ellie had another in her hand. “Can I talk to you for a minute,” she asked walking up to Dosson.  
  
“Yeah. Sure.”  
  
Ellie leads him outside to the patio. She closed the sliding glass door behind them. Ellie sat down at the table, motioning for Dosson to do the same. It was quiet between them for a second. “I don’t blame you,” she said looking up at him. “I haven’t seen you since and I want you to know that. I don’t know if dad made you transfer or if you did it yourself, but I don’t blame you for what happened.”  
  
Dosson shook his head looking at her. “Your dad didn’t make me do anything. Grey told me afterward that you requested a new training officer that day. I didn’t leave Mid-Wilshire because of your dad. I left because I needed to step away from being a T.O. for a while. You’re a good cop,” he said with a smile. “Probably one of the best rookies that I’ve seen in a long time. I couldn’t train you the way you needed. That’s why I left. It wasn’t because of Tim.”  
  
\--  
A few hours had passed quickly. Ellie had stopped drinking after her third beer. She wanted to remember this night. She snacked on some of the finger foods that Lucy had conjured up. They were all sitting in the living room now watching the slideshow of pictures.  
  
Ellie was leaned against Sean as his chest rattled with laughter at the pictures on the screen. Most of them were embarrassing photos of her growing up but there were some embarrassing ones that Tim had taken during the past year.  
  
One of her favorites was when they were called to a noise disturbance at a birthday party for a seven-year-old. Somehow the little kid was able to convince Tim to let Ellie participate in the show. A cool-whip pie to the face wasn’t her best look. Tim had grabbed an extra pie from the table and when she walked up to him, he smacked her right in the face. The mother had taken the quick picture as Tim grabbed Ellie and turned her towards the camera as Tim pointed at her, a proud smile on his face.  
  
“Do y’all want to know the story that,” she asked when a picture of little Ellie and Ti, both covered in different colored dyes, flashed across the screen. Easter ’09.  
  
“You wouldn’t dare,” Tim challenged.  
  
“Bet.”  
  
“Don’t,” he warned.  
  
“Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll spare you for now.”  
  
The photos changed to ones of her and Sean. Ellie settled deeper in his arms until he went to stand up. Ellie looked at him confused as he stood in front of her now. Sean smiled down at her. “When I first met you, you were literally bleeding out under my hands and you didn’t even remember it,” he said causing the room to laugh around them. Ellie’s confused look still on her face. “The second time I met you, I had to patch up your hands after you got in a fight. I could spend the rest of my life patching you up, even though it’s not my favorite thing to do. I would do anything you need me to, whenever you need me to do it. I knew after our first date exactly what I wanted. I wanted you to be a part of my life until the day comes that we can’t be together anymore.” Sean smiled down at her reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a little black box opening it, before slowly getting on his knee in front of her. “Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy cow. ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!! I'm excited about the ending of this story, hopefully, you are too!! I already have the ending wrote, so it's just about getting it polished up now! We're in the endgame boys and girls.


	14. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll see you at the end.
> 
> I only own Ellie, Sean, Dosson, Melinda, and technically Williamson.
> 
> Special thanks to motherof4dragons for helping me polish this last chapter up!

Four Years Later---  
  
Ellie was walking through the bullpen headed towards the garage bay to head out on patrol. "Officer Clayton," someone called behind her, causing her to stop.  
  
"Sergeant Bradford," she said, turning around with a smile on her face.  
  
Tim smiled at her as he walked up to her. "Are you ready for this?"  
  
Ellie nodded, looking up at him. "Training rookies. The most sacred part of the job. Well, that's what someone told me once," she said, continuing to grin at him.  
  
"Go easy on Officer Clark," he said, looking over her shoulder at the rookie who was struggling to carry the war bags and shotguns as he looked around for Ellie.   
  
"I don't do easy, Sarg.," she said, playfully turning away from him and continuing her journey to the garage.  
  
"Ellie," he called, causing her to look back at him. "Stay safe," he told her just like he did every day since he'd been promoted.  
  
"Always," she said simply before walking through the sliding doors.  
—  
  
"Shots fired at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and South Highland avenue. We need back up and medics! Code 3! They ambushed us," he heard an officer yell through the walkie. He could hear the sound of gunfire and bullets hitting the vehicle as the officer yelled for help.  
  
Tim rushed out of his office. He saw the swarm of officers quickly getting their gear and running towards the garage. He ran out of the precinct to his designated shop. He never let up until he arrived on the scene.  
  
By the time he arrived, the whole intersection was roped off with yellow tape. Dozen of cop cars lined the streets. Getting out, he could see white sheets lying on the ground covering the bodies. His heart dropped to his stomach. He's lost some good friends to this cruel world, and each time it never got easier.  
  
Grey saw him just as Tim saw the older man. When Tim ducked under the tape, Grey's hand on his chest stopped him from going further. "Tim," he said, stepping in front of him. "You can't go in there."  
  
His head tilted as he looked at the lieutenant. "What? Why?"  
  
"Tim. I'm sorry," he said softly, his hand still on his chest, keeping him back. 

His throat ran dry. His stomach tilted. The heart that was already in his stomach breaking. Blue eyes started to fill with tears. "Lucy," he choked out. "Is it Lucy?"  
  
"No," Grey said shortly, shaking his head.  
  
Tim's eyes scan the scene, trying to find her. They stop on the bloody door of the patrol car. The bullet holes through the windshield. Glass from the shattered windows lay on the asphalt, bullet holes through the door. They never had a chance. His eyes land on the pool of blood beside the car where the body had laid.  
  
Everything turned into slow motion as he looked at the people of the scene. The coroners were loading a black body bag in the back of their van. He could see other officers trying to keep their emotions suppressed, while others already had tears streaming down their faces. He saw medics patching up a couple of other officers that had some scrapes and grazes. When his eyes landed on the rookie, sitting with his head in his hands, blood covering his uniform, he felt a tear break from his eye. "No," he said, his voice wavering. "No," he cried. "No…" His eyes moved to Sean, sitting on the edge of the ambulance, breathing into an oxygen mask. His own eyes red as tears fell down his face as other medics tried to calm him.  
  
"Ellie," he yells brokenly as he tried to step forward, but instead, he collapses against Grey. Grey catches him, holding him up. He couldn't breathe—each breath out fleeing from strained lungs. Grey moved behind a squad car away from the media's prying cameras.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tim," he said softly, sliding down the side of the car to the ground holding a sobbing Tim close to him, his own voice starting to crack. "I'm so sorry."  
—  
_1 year later_  
  
He was sitting in his office, facing away from the door. His distant gaze locked on the folded flag in the wooden shadow back. The name etched in the golden plate never getting easier to look at. He found himself doing this often, just staring at the little memorial they had made for her. Her badge leaned up against it. A picture of them from academy graduation framed beside it. The letter she wrote there too, looking back at him.  
  
_He remembered back to when he came back to work nearly two months after. The box of her belongings sitting on his desk when he walked in. Angela and Grey had cleaned her locker out to save him the pain of doing it._  
  
_He sifted through the box, his eyes brimming with tears. She had some workout shirts with Clayton and Bradford across the back. Her awards and plaques also filled the box. Photos of her, him and Lucy, the group at her graduation, and her and Sean. His hand brushed against her old metal 'Bradford' name tag._  
  
_His breath caught when he noticed the letter sitting in the bottom on the box 'Dad' simply wrote across the front. He had to sit down on his couch before he fell. Carefully, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Letting out a shaky breath he started to read:_  
  
_If you're reading this, then that means I'm not coming home. I want you to know that I loved you more than you could ever imagine, even through all our fights and disagreements. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to hurt. Don't hold your pain inside. There are people that will need you during this. You're the strongest person that I have ever met. Pain is only temporary, but the memories we made will last forever. I'm not sorry that I followed in your footsteps. The only thing I ever wanted in this life was to make you proud. I like to believe that I accomplished that. It's okay to be happy again. It's okay to smile through the pain, no matter how hard it is. You're going to be okay. You all will be. I will always be with you, even though you can't see me, I'm there. You're going to be okay. Keep an eye on Sean for me; he's going to need you too._  
_\- Love you always,_  
_Ellie Bradford Clayton_  
  
"Are you ready to go," Grey asked after watching him for a moment. Tim turned to look at the lieutenant, dressed in his dress blues.  
  
"Yeah," he said softly, pushing out of the chair. He looked back over his shoulder at the folded flag once more before shutting the door behind him as they walked out.  
  
They rode in silence. Tim has driven this route many times. At least once a week, many more during the roughest of weeks. His mind drifted back to a week after it happened.  
  
_He hadn't left the bed in a week, not because he was sleeping, he couldn't even do that. He wondered why it had to be her. She was so young and had so much life left to live. Death had ripped the rest of her pages away without a second thought. He didn't know how to function. His hair was already longer than usual, and his beard was starting to come in, and he didn't care. But that day, he pulled himself out of bed. He put on a pair of jeans and a shirt for the first time in a week. There was something he needed to do._  
  
_He walked into the kitchen to see Lucy cooking them breakfast. She had tried to get him to eat through the week; he only nibbled at what she gave him. "I can drive you," she offered softly, putting a plate down in front of him on the island in the kitchen._  
  
_"Nah. It's okay. Angela is picking me," he said, pulling out a barstool and sitting down. Slowly, he ate the eggs, bacon, and biscuits that she prepared for him. His phone dinged, causing him to look down. "She's here," he said quietly, standing to his feet._  
  
_Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist, her head laid against his chest. "Call me if you need me," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek._  
  
_"I will," he said, closing his eyes at her lips on his cheek. "I'll be back soon." He walked out of the house and across the yard. The first time he had been outside —since._  
  
_Quietly, he slid into the passenger seat of the car. "How are you doing," Angela asked, looking over at him beside her._  
  
_Tim just shook his head, looking over at her. Neither said a word as she backed them out of the driveway and towards their destination._  
  
_They sat in silence for a while when they pulled into the lot. He knew this was something he had to, but it didn't make it any less painful. "She would want her to know," Lopez said after a while of them sitting just looking at the prison._  
  
_"I know."_  
  
_Lopez reached into her center console and pulled out a white envelope. "This was in her locker," she said, handing it to him. "She wrote you one too; it's in your office."_  
  
_Tim nodded, taking the envelope from her hand. He slipped it in the inside pocket of his jacket. "Thanks." He sat there for a moment longer before he pushed the door open. He slid out of the car quietly and shut the door behind him. He looked at the prison, taking a deep breath before he started walking towards the doors._  
  
_He was sitting in the outside visiting area at a table waiting. He had to tell her. No matter how much he thought she didn't deserve to know, it was his duty to tell her. "Well, they said I had a visitor, can't say I expected it to be you," Isabel said, walking towards him._  
  
_Tim looked up at her. "I don't want to be here."_  
  
_"Then why are you here, Tim," she asked, sitting down across from him._  
  
_Tim had to look away from her as his eyes started to fill with tears again. He swallowed heavily, looking back at her. "There was a shooting," he started but had to pause before his voice started to crack. "Ellie was...Ellie was there."_  
  
_"What are you trying to say, Tim?"_  
  
_He had to blink to stop the tears from escaping. "They couldn't save her. She was gone before I got there," he forced out, his voice breaking as the tears he tried to hold in fell down his cheeks. His heart broke even further at the look on her face. He felt a need to comfort her, she had been his wife for over half his life, but he stayed seated watching her. He didn't say anything for a while as Isabel sobbed across from him, his tears drying up. "They granted you a furlough for tomorrow. So, you'll be there."_  
  
_Tim pushed off the table and stood up. He turned and started to walk away from Isabel when he stopped. He shook his head, reaching into his inside pocket. "She wrote you this," he said, sliding the envelope across the table and walking away._  
  
_The next day, he dressed in his black suit and black tie standing behind Isabel as she leaned over the flag-covered casket. He got to the cemetery early so he would be there when she arrived. He didn’t want her to be alone. There was a portrait of Ellie dressed in her uniform with her end of watch date underneath it beside the casket. The city had bought an arrangement of white and pink carnations, a symbol of innocence and thankfulness, to sit beside the coffin during the service._  
  
_It was a beautiful service, although it was one he wished he didn't have to attend._  
  
"You okay," Grey asked, breaking Tim from his memories. They had been sitting parked on the side of the road for nearly five minutes as Tim spaced out. Other cars were already parked as they waited.  
  
"Yeah," he said, letting loose a shaky breath. He pushed the door open and stepped out. The cool fall air wrapped around him. The warm sun shined down on him instantly. He knew she was with him. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he looked up to see the group that helped him hold himself together over the past year already gathered around. He would never be able to tell them how much each and every one of them means to him.  
  
Lucy turns to look at him with their son in her arms as he and Grey walk up to the group. Their little boy was just over a year old now.  
  
Angela and Wesley were there as well, their twins holding their hands.  
  
John stood with his arm wrapped around Grace. They had gotten married almost two years ago.  
  
Harper had her daughter and husband beside her.  
  
Jackson had Sterling's arm around his shoulder.  
  
Tim could see the glint in each of their eyes, and tears slowly worked to the surface as others already had drops falling. He tried to give them a weak smile, but instead, a lonely tear slipped from his eye before he could wipe it away.  
  
He looked beyond them to see Sean already kneeled on the ground. His hand rested against the cold gray stone. He put his hand on the man's shoulder, walking up to him. Sean's red-rimmed eyes looked up at him instantly. He stood and wrapped his arms around his father-in-law. Tim felt the tears he was holding back break the surface and fall down his face. "It's okay," he whispered into Sean's ear as he started to sob into Tim's shoulder. "It's okay. Shhhh—It's okay," he said, rubbing his hand on Sean's back.  
  
"I miss her," he cried. "I miss her so much."  
  
"I know. I do too, but it's going to be okay." Tim held him tightly against him, much like he did that day when he arrived on the scene. "It's going to be okay," he repeats softly as the other man's cries started to quiet down, and he nods against his shoulder.  
  
Sean pulls away from his after a minute longer. "Sorry," he said softly, looking up at Tim's red-rimmed eyes. "Didn't know that was going to happen," he says, laughing sadly, looking away.  
  
"Don't be sorry," Tim says, shaking his head. Sean nods before walking back to the group, leaving Tim alone. He looked down at the stone before he squatted down to read it. His fingers ghosting over the words carved in stone.  
  
_Ellie Bradford Clayton_  
_July 8, 1998 – September 24, 2025_  
_Wife. Daughter. Hero._  
  
"I spent the last three days trying to think about what to say today. You'd probably be making fun of me right about now," he said with a smile. "I've never been great at telling people how I feel, and you know that. So, I wrote it down as it came up. That's what Lucy told me to do. You know she gets in her psychologist mode every now and then," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. "For the past year," he paused, "I've been in a dark place—a place I still don't know how to get out of. You were my light. My breath of fresh air, and then you were gone in an instant. For weeks, I found myself looking for the bottom of the bottle. I couldn't function without you. Then one night, I was drowning my thoughts with a bottle of whiskey, and I realized you wouldn't have wanted that. You wouldn’t of wanted us wallowing in sorrow. I got your letter," he paused, looking up at the stone. "I'll never stop missing you. I'll never stop remembering you. We're going to be okay, just like you said. All of us because we have each other. It's going to hurt every day until I get to see you again. The pain won't ever go away, but it will get better. I miss you. I miss you so much every day. There are times I catch myself waiting for you to walk around the corner at the station or for you to be waiting for me at roll call. I swear there are times I can still hear your voice. I'm going to be okay because I know you're still here with us. I love you so much, kiddo, and I always will."  
  
Lucy walked up to him after a while; her hand rested on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her. He stood and wrapped his arms around her and their boy. The boy reached for him after they pulled away. With a smile, Tim took him into his arms. "Hey buddy," he said softly, placing a kiss on his brown hair. "Do you want to talk to your sister?"  
  
Lucy and Tim both laughed as he started to babble in his arms. "Lucas. This is Ellie, your big sister." The toddler continued to chatter in his arms as they turned back to the stone. They had pictures of them together at the hospital when he was born and a couple days before when she took him to the park with Sean, but this is all he would ever truly know.  
  
All they had was memories and the pain that was left behind. They were going to be okay as time went on. Pain fades over time, but it never truly goes away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright....so....I don’t know if you bawled like a baby like I did. I hope this chapter was as good as I hoped. I really enjoyed writing this story! 
> 
> I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone that read this whole story. I appreciate all the support from the comments and kudos since the beginning. Don’t be afraid to shoot me a message or comment and let me know what you think. 
> 
> I’m on Tumblr @TheRookieBook. Thanks again for reading! 
> 
> I wrote this with the songs “Heaven Was Needing A Hero” by Jo De Messina and “Who You’d Be Today” by Kenny Chesney in the background.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! More chapters to come if this is something people are interested in! Watch The Rookie Sundays at 9 CST on ABC!


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